Council Members Ydanis A. Rodriguez, Rafael Salamanca Jr., Ben Kallos and Mark Levine Image Credit: City Council
The additional bills should help the public and City administration react in the fight against Legionnaire’s disease. On March 28, 2019, the City Council approved Int. No 1158, 1149-B, 1164-A and 1166-A, a package of bills regarding the maintenance and inspection of cooling towers. The bills assist in the implementation and enforcement of Local Law 77 of 2015, which was enacted in response to an outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease. The bills respectively address public information availability, electronic reminders for inspection and certification, annual reporting and future assessments of cooling towers.
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Top Image: Council Member Fernando Cabrera/Image Credit: Jeff Reed
Bottom Image: Council Member Ben Kallos/Image Credit: John McCarten
The four proposed bills would provide the community and elected officials with the tools to make informed decisions about developments in their neighborhoods. On September 26, 2019, the City Council’s Land Use and Governmental Operations Committees held a hearing on four proposed bills that will increase transparency regarding new developments in the City, specifically with the transfer of development rights and testimony at the Board of Standards and Appeals. The four bills are a response to the recent development of supertall out-of-context skyscrapers in the City and the lack of information provided to the community during the development process.
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NYC Department of City Planning
The City’s zoning laws are now instantly accessible to New Yorkers. On February 6, 2019, Department of City Planning Director Marisa Lago announced the release of the City’s digital Zoning Resolution online platform. The online platform will serve as a green replacement for the 1,570-page physical copy of the Resolution, which will no longer be printed to save money, increase government transparency, and fight climate change. It will also be a more interactive replacement for the static PDFs currently on the City Planning website. The platform will make the City’s Zoning Resolution more accessible for New Yorkers.
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City Council’s new legislation seeks to combat overcrowded New York City Schools through new efficient methods in choosing new school building projects. On September 12, 2018, the City Council announced it will require the School Construction Authority to disclose how it evaluates the location and time frame of new schools being built. City Council Member Ben Kallos authored the measure, Introduction 729, in response to overcrowding in New York City public elementary and middle schools and the City’s plans to build fewer school seats. This legislation intends to make the Department of Education and the School Construction Authority more transparent in their decisions, and create accountability. (read more…)
Ribbon cutting ceremony for new Universal Pre-K Center in Upper East Side. Image credit: BenKallos.com.
New center will add more Pre-K seats alleviating shortage. On September 12, 2018, Council Member Ben Kallos and the Department of Education announced the opening of the new Universal Pre-K Center on the Upper East Side at a ribbon cutting ceremony. The new facility, located at 1683 3rd Avenue Street, is 11,492 square feet, and will serve 90 Pre-K students. The opening of the facility is part of the City’s new efforts to build more facilities and offer education services to children all over the city. (read more…)
Councilmember Jumaane D. Williams, with Councilmember Vincent Gentile (l) and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams (r). Image credit: Ernest Skinner/NYC Council.
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 displaced another sixteen.
“Substandard housing is not affordable housing,” said Council Member Vincent Gentile. “Seeking to maximize profit at the expense of tenant safety will no longer be permissible by the City of New York once this bill is signed into law. Few neighborhoods are immune from the dangers to life and property that illegally partitioning homes poses. By removing the profit motive from unscrupulous owners, this bill will help protect tenants from imminently life-threatening conditions, increase the safety of first responders in emergency situations, safeguard our overburdened infrastructure systems, and maintain the quality of life in our communities.”
“Illegal home conversions are a high-risk symptom of the overall housing crisis we have in this city,” said Council Member Jumaane Williams. “It is our responsibility as legislators to find these bad-acting landlords and thwart their illegal and very dangerous practices. It is also our responsibility to offer a realistic, affordable housing alternative to the residents. Illegal conversions are unsafe, as evidenced by the two major fires that took place in my district last year; they deteriorate the quality of life for residents and community members, and put a strain on local resources.”
“Today, we take a positive step toward advancing safer communities to raise healthy children and families,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. “Today, we respond to the countless tragedies that have senselessly claimed lives due to critically substandard housing conditions. Today, we address the challenge of aggravated illegally converted homes with common-sense, bipartisan legislation that prioritizes the health and safety of at-risk tenants and neighbors.” (read more…)
