According to a report by Jones Lang LaSalle, the most common problem for building owners wasn't structural; rather, it was damage to electrical and/or other systems. “Most significant is electric switch gear, which has been below grade historically,” John Wheeler, managing director and the author of the report, tells GlobeSt.com. “Pumps and mechanical systems for the elevators also were kept below ground, creating issues.”

All but one of Lower Manhattan's impacted office building, 110 Wall St., have been restored, and apart from asking more questions about a building's contingency plans in the event of another storm, tenants have shown no sign of reluctance to lease space Downtown. In fact, new leasing actually spiked by 21% in the 12 months after Hurricane Sandy, according to the report, and new leasing in impacted buildings has spiked by 33.8%.

“If ever there was a time for activity to soften, it was after the storm,” notes Wheeler, “but clearly this didn't impact decisions.”

On the residential side, at least two building owners—who spoke with GlobeSt.com—have done their part to significantly lower their building's vulnerability during future storms. One property was still in the design stage during the storm, so adjustments were made to include some cutting-edge features while another was slated for refurbishment at the time of the hurricane, but plans were redone.

At Time Equities' 50 West St., now under construction, all of the building's plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems will sit not in the basement but on the sixth floor. The decision to move the equipment up, but not to the top, was a strategic decision, Rob Singer, project manager at Time Equities, tells GlobeSt.com. “You can see the third floor from the street so you don't want to put air conditioning equipment [or the like] there. You want to get it up high, but not too high.”

Time Equities' most unusual move though was to install an emergency generator—on the 40^th floor—powered not by the usual source of electricity but instead, it is fueled by the natural gas line. “It runs continuously, regardless of whether the electric grid is off,” says Singer. This will come in particularly handy for residents in terms of their food supply as the outlets for refrigerators will switch to this power source in the event of an electrical outage.

Apartments will have an additional outlet linked to the emergency generator for other items, such as cell phone chargers. The moves go well beyond city standards, Singer notes, and they don't come cheap.

Still, he says, “This has a cost but in a way it doesn't because you have to go all the way [in creating storm protection]; it has to be done. The markets, buyers and insurance companies require flood proofing so we're not sparing any expense.”

A similar mindset was adopted at Ocean Village, in the Rockaways section of Queens. Already in disrepair at the time of the storm, the buildings were set to be sold. L+M Development Partners was in contract to buy the building, and instead of abandoning the project, it did just the opposite.

“We had about 50 inches of water in all of our below grade levels, where we had high voltage electric equipment,” Rick Gropper, development director, tells GlobeSt.com. “There were transformers dripping with water, it was crazy. But there were no discussions about walking away, we had made commitments to partners in the city, such as the Department of Housing.”

Instead, Gropper says, “we used it to reconsider decisions made in 1974,” which is when the 1,093 Mitchell-Lama apartment complex was first built. So the building underwent a $60 million restoration with changes that—among others—included cladding all of the buildings with an energy efficient exterior insulation finishing system. L+M made the façade white because “we wanted to create something residents would be proud of. The more people buy into living in a community, the better care they take of it.”

Renamed Arverne View, the complex did see some tenants leave but it is now fully leased. Of course, other developers and owners made property overhauls, and some are likely to follow recommendations on how to withstand future storms, such as those made earlier this month by the Urban Land Institute.

Said Holloway, “It's possible to build by the waterfront, but you have to do so sensibly and responsibly.” The city has made over 250 recommendations for changes that need to take place, including adjustments to the building code to make development more efficient. The question,” Holloway said, “is are we going to dedicate the capital resources for these coastal protections and other investments? The answer is a resounding yes.”