City Officials and developer broke ground on the new One Vanderbilt office building and $220 million transit upgrade of Grand Central. On October 18, 2016, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Council Member Dan Garodnick joined the developer SL Green for the on-site groundbreaking ceremony. The new office tower will reach 1,401 feet and cover the city block west of Grand Central. The tower is expected to achieve … <Read More>
Office of the Mayor
New Law Reduces Building Costs for Small Homeowners
Costs for new developments and alterations are adjusted for the first time since 1991 to reflect equitable fee structure. On May 10, 2016, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed Local Law 56, which will alter building construction permit filing fees. Local Law 56, previously City Council Introduction 831, was introduced by Council Member Jumaane Williams at the request of the Mayor in June of 2015, and passed on April 20, 2016, to provide for a … <Read More>
City Relying on 1962 State Law to Combat Irresponsible Landlords
City forces eight landlords to fix building code violations in twelve buildings by threatening to stop paying rent for tenants on public assistance. On May 26, 2016, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Public Advocate Letitia James announced the use of the 1962 New York State Spiegel Law as a tool to compel landlords to fix violations for tenants receiving public assistance. Landlords who do not complete repairs quickly will lose out on rent payments.
Mayor de Blasio’s Land Use Appointments Carousel Continues
Mayor de Blasio has re-structured the City’s land use administrative hierarchy to further his affordable housing agenda. On July 22, 2014, Mayor Bill de Blasio nominated Margery Perlmutter to serve as Chair of the Board of Standards and Appeals. This was the Mayor’s latest appointment to City land-use positions, all of which will bear heavily on the Mayor’s expansive affordable housing agenda, a ten-year plan designed to preserve some 200,000 units of affordable housing.