NJ eyes 700 homes for post-Sandy buyouts

New Jersey has identified nearly 700 homes it plans to buy and demolish as part of an effort to move people out of flood-prone areas. But most of the homes targeted for acquisition and demolition are in areas away from the shore, where Superstorm Sandy did its worst damage. Bob Considine, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said that’s because there are “very few willing sellers in these towns. They’ve all been approached.” A key feature of the Blue Acres program is identifying willing sellers in close proximity to one another. New Jersey officials say that acquiring scattered homes in otherwise intact neighborhoods would do little to reduce property damage from future storms. And no one can be forced to sell their homes under the program.