Builders in New York state are pressing the governor to reverse his decision to declare most home building “non-essential” during the coronavirus shutdown. The Rochester Business Journal reports:
In normal times, the subcontractors working for Faber Builders Inc., would have been spending the next two weeks putting the final touches on a new home for a Rochester couple.
“Their house normally would have been done around the 17th or 20th of April,” Bernie Iacovangelo, CEO of Faber Builders, said.
Instead, in this new abnormal caused by the coronavirus pandemic, nearly all work has come to a halt on the house. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on March 27 declared residential construction to be non-essential, unless it was a project to create housing for low-income or homeless tenants.
Which leaves Iacovanglo’s clients in what they believe is a potentially dangerous situation. While they have awaited completion of their house, the couple has been living with relatives, one of whom has chronic asthma. Due to breathing complications caused by the ailment, hospitalization has been necessary in the past. …
… “And there’s more than one case like that, I’m sure,” said Rick Herman, president of the Rochester Home Builders’ Association (RHBA).
