Non-Essential Construction in the City is Suspended Due to COVID-19 Emergency

All construction permits will need to be active and renewed during the suspension period.  On March 30, 2020, the Department of Buildings announced that all work on non-essential construction and demolition sites is suspended for the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Buildings made the decision to suspend such construction and demolition following Governor Andrew Cuomo’s amended executive order and the Empire State Development Corporation’s guidelines. The executive order, which required non-essential businesses <Read More>


CityLaw Profile: Elizabeth Glazer, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office on Criminal Justice

On March 11, 2015, Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Elizabeth Glazer as the Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, an office formed to advise the Mayor on criminal justice issues, public safety, bail reform, policing, and incarceration rates. Glazer took on the City role after serving as Governor Andrew Cuomo’s chief advisor on criminal justice. She came to the de Blasio administration with a wealth of experience in criminal justice and public … <Read More>


HPD Seeks Enhanced Enforcement Against City’s Worst Buildings

HPD picked 250 buildings with over 41,000 violations for enhanced enforcement. In 2019, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) launched the Anti-Harassment Unit (AHU) to keep tenants safe and to hold owners and landlords accountable for leaving homes in disrepair. On March 4, 2020, HPD announced that the AHU filed actions for nearly $400,000 against two building owners in court. Each building owner operates three buildings in Manhattan and the … <Read More>


City Planning Holds Hearing on Nine-Story Mixed-Use Building in Bensonhurst

The applicants propose to bring eleven affordable housing units under the City’s Workforce Option to Bensonhurst. On March 4, 2020, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on an application to rezone part of a low-density residential zoning district in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. The applicant, SUW 4 LLC, proposes to rezone the northwest corner of 60th Street and Bay Parkway, which is a 10,108 square foot vacant lot. Under the current zoning, only three- to … <Read More>


Council Subcommittee Approves Hotel Building Conversion in DUMBO

The building conversion will bring 508 supportive and affordable residential units to DUMBO. On March 13, 2020, the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises approved an application to facilitate the conversion of a 29-story former hotel building at 90 Sands Street. The building would be converted into a mixed-use residential use and community facility building with a future possibility for commercial use. To facilitate the conversion, the applicant, Breaking Ground, is proposing to rezone … <Read More>


Citywide Policy Adjustments Made by Agencies and Industries Responsible for Housing

COVID-19 outbreak has forced NYCHA and DHS to take extra precaution. Throughout the City and State, agencies and industries responsible for housing individuals, are taking measures and adopting policies to address the COVID-19 health crisis. The policies and measures generally focus on preventing the spread of disease, isolating infected individuals and answering questions on how compromised services would operate. In the hospitality industry many have also implemented policies regarding the refunds and the cancellation of … <Read More>