Private elevator safety law upheld

Owner of private elevator failed to perform annual safety inspections. Lisa Neuman is the owner of a single-family home located at 84-40 Avon St., Jamaica Estates, New York. A private elevator has been present in Neuman’s home since the 1990s.  Beginning in 2011, Neuman began receiving yearly notices from the Department of Buildings for failing to perform annual elevator safety inspections in violation of §28-304.6.1 of the Administrative Code, which became effective in 2008. Under … <Read More>


NYCHA Launches New Team to Handle Lead Removal for Residences with Young Children

The program helps target apartments with lead paint that young children frequent. On July 14, 2021, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) launched the Team for Enhanced Management Planning and Outreach (TEMPO). The TEMPO program is dedicated to outreach, inspection and remediation of lead-based paint in NYCHA apartments where a child under the age of 6 lives or routinely spends ten or more hours a week.


New Law Replaces Green Wooden Fences with Chain Link Fences at Construction Sites

The law will affect construction sites that have been stalled for over two years. On June 28, 2021, Local Law 74 was enacted by the NYC Council. The law which originated as Intro 1128 was introduced on September 26, 2018 by Council Member Robert Holden. The new law will amend the New York City Building Code by requiring the green fences that are in place at construction sites that have discontinued or stalled work for … <Read More>


State Legislature Passes Law to Fund Hotel and Office Conversion to Affordable Housing

The properties will be owned, operated and managed by selected nonprofit organizations. On June 9, 2020, the New York State Senate and Assembly passed the Housing Our Neighbors with Dignity Act. The Bill, sponsored by Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris and Assemblymember Karines Reyes, allows New York State to partner with nonprofit organizations to finance the acquisition and conversion of distressed hotels and commercial office space into affordable housing.


Westchester County Stream and Wetland Restoration Completed, Protecting a New York City Water Supply

The former Armonk Bowling Alley has been converted into a natural buffer upstream of the Kensico Reservoir and will help to protect a key source of unfiltered drinking water. On June 4, 2021, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection announced the completion of a $5.5 million restoration project to rebuild a stream and wetlands on the site of the former Armonk Bowling Alley located in Westchester County. The new stream and wetlands expand … <Read More>


Construction Begins on New Manhattan Pet Adoption Center

The Department of Design and Construction is completely renovating an old garage in East Harlem into a new facility for the specific use of providing animals to adopt for the city. On June 4, 2021, the Department of Design and Construction and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene announced the beginning of construction on a new Pet Adoption Center located at 328 East 109th Street in East Harlem. The Center will work with adoptable … <Read More>