Videos produced by Headline Surfer Multimedia Editor Serafina Frederick / A tornado ripped through the Terra Mar Village mobile home community south of Edgewater on Dec. 10, damaging 90 homes.
By Deb DenysEDGEWATER -- After tragedy strikes, assessing the damage and rebuilding to once again return to ‘normal’ can be frustrating at best.
Such is the case at Terra Mar Village in Edgewater after an F1 tornado struck on December 10, 2012.
Now that a short span of time has passed, it’s time for homeowners to rebuild and the community to attempt to once again return to "normal."
The process of rebuilding can be time consuming and costly just applying and complying with the overseeing government entities. Many times, properties are not in compliance with existing zoning classifications and setback requirements.
Because Terra Mar Village is the unincorporated part of the county, the Volusia County Council is the overseeing entity, with accompanying codes and building permit requirements.
At our first County Council meeting on Jan. 10, we unanimously approved an Ordinance that recognizes the existing burden to our citizens and extreme hardship that has resulted from the tornado.
This ordinance allows homeowners to rebuild and repair “damaged homes and accessory structures to apply for building permits without demonstrating compliance with applicable setback requirements of the zoning code, so long as the repair or replacement occurs in the original footprint of the modular or manufactured home or accessory structure as it existed immediately prior to the tornado.”
Key words in this Ordinance are “original, pre-tornado footprint.” In other words, if it existed prior to the tornado, it can be rebuilt. However, application must be made prior to Jan. 10, 2014.
It is also important to note that “permit approvals shall still be subject to all applicable building codes and flood regulations.”
When tragedy strikes, streamlining or removing governmental barriers can be a valuable commodity, personally and monetarily. This good will Ordinance from the Volusia County Council comes at no cost to the taxpayers and is the perfect example of government getting out of the way.
When tragedy strikes, streamlining or removing governmental barriers can be a valuable commodity, personally and monetarily. This good will Ordinance from the Volusia County Council comes at no cost to the taxpayers and is the perfect example of government getting out of the way.
Hopefully, life will return to normal at Terra Mar Village.
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