City Council Hears Testimony on Inclusionary Housing Transparency

City Council Committee heard testimony on legislation to codify reporting requirements for the Department of Housing Preservation and Development regarding inclusionary housing and affordable units. On June 19, 2017, the City Council’s Committee on Housing and Building held a hearing on a package of five bills. Four of the bills concerned the Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s reporting requirements for affordable housing developments. The fifth bill concerned the definition of residency in the City’s … <Read More>


City Council Reacts to Lead Paint Ruling by Court of Appeals; Hearing Next Week

City Council to have hearing on a bill to define “residency” in the City’s Lead Law in response to a decision by the Court of Appeals. In April 2016, the New York State Court of Appeals found that a landlord has no duty to remove lead paint from residences where children six-years or younger may spend time when the child does not live in the apartment. The Court found that a child spending in excess … <Read More>


City Council Subcommittee Considering Three Building Complex on Edgewater Street

Zoning Subcommittee heard testimony on proposed 371-unit complex on Staten Island. On May 30, 2017, the City Council’s Zoning Subcommittee heard testimony regarding an application submitted by Pier 21 Development, LLC, to construct a mixed-use development with 371 residential units in three buildings in Staten Islands’ Rosebank neighborhood. The applicant sought to rezone the development site from manufacturing to residential with a commercial overlay and to expand the Special Stapleton Waterfront District to cover the … <Read More>


City Council Subcommittee Approves Soundview Development Including Church with Modifications

Zoning Subcommittee approved a proposed 286-unit fully affordable housing complex in the Bronx’s Soundview neighborhood. On May 30, 2017, the City Council’s Zoning Subcommittee voted 5-0 to approve an application submitted by Azimuth Development Group, LLC, to develop four attached buildings with residential, community facility and retail uses. The applicant sought to up-zone most of the 63,000 square foot development site and to designate the site as a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Area.


City Council to Consider Higher Heating Requirements After Committee Passes Bill

Committee on Housing and Buildings voted to raise minimum heating requirements and to uncouple the requirement from outside overnight temperatures. On May 22, 2017, the City Council’s Committee on Housing and Buildings recalled and passed a bill to require owners of residential buildings to maintain a minimum temperature in dwelling units that are occupied. Current law requires a minimum temperature to be maintained during heating season which is defined as the period between October 1 … <Read More>


Illegal Conversion Legislation Considered [UPDATE: City Council Passes Bill]

UPDATE: On May 10, 2017, the City Council voted 49-0 approve the new legislation. The new law, sponsored by Council Members Vincent Gentile and Jumaane Williams, increases the minimum civil penalty for immediate hazardous illegal conversions to $15,000 fine for each dwelling unit beyond the number that are legally authorized. The legislation was proposed after a two-alarm fire in an illegally converted unit in East Flatbush, Brooklyn killed one person, injured five more, and … <Read More>