Council Member Mark Gjonaj at the Joint Committee Hearing Image Credit: City Council

Committee hearing calls into question the amount of loans and protections for small businesses during COVID outbreak. On April 29, 2020, the City Council’s Committee on Small Business and Committee on Consumer Affairs and Business Licensing held a joint public hearing on the impact of COVID-19 on small businesses in New York City.  Of the thirteen proposed bills, three were specifically labeled as part of a COVID-19 Relief Package. The bills address personal liability for commercial tenants, commercial tenant harassment and fees for sidewalk café licenses. Each bill is discussed in further detail below:

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Fifty-Five Years of LPC timeline homepage./Image Credit: LPC

The interactive timeline aims to foster civic pride for New Yorkers during the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 16, 2020, the Landmarks Preservation Commission announced the release of an online timeline, Fifty-Five Years of LPC. Fifty-Five Years of LPC was released in honor of Landmarks’ 55th year anniversary. The timeline is interactive and includes excerpts of Landmarks’ history and highlights its notable accomplishments through the decades.

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Image Credit: NYCHA.

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 services, as well as provide general travel tips.

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Image Rendering of proposed building at 816 Herkimer Street, Cluster 2 Image Credit: City Planning

HPD’s Open Door Program a key facet of Rochester Suydam application. On February 26, 2020, the City Council Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Sitings and Dispositions heard the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and BJF Development’s application for the disposition of City owned property, the designation of an Urban Development Action Area and the approval of a property tax exemption under Article XI of the Private Housing Finance Law. The approval would facilitate the development of seven new buildings and 78 affordable homeownership units in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. The application was approved by the City Planning Commission on February 19, 2020. To read CityLand’s prior coverage of the Rochester Suydam project click here.

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Screen Shot of Department of State’s Rent Law Memorandum. Click the image to view the full memorandum.

Real estate community in state of confusion over 2019 Rent laws. On February 10, 2020, the Real Estate Board of New York Inc. (“REBNY’”), the New York State Associations of Realtors (“NYSAR”) and a host of residential real estate brokerages were granted a temporary restraining order, blocking the New York State Department of State’s guidance on broker commissions. The TRO comes in conjunction with their Article 78 filing seeking to invalidate the memorandum’s entire section prohibiting landlord’s brokers from collecting commissions from prospective tenants.

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