By Kristen Fortino As we’ve previously covered, the 2025 New York State Budget includes several initiatives to alleviate the ongoing housing crisis in New York City. Among these measures is a pilot program to legalize basement apartments. Specifically, the program seeks to bring illegal basement and cellar apartments into compliance with… View more
By Frank Fortino Office-to-residential conversions present an exciting opportunity for addressing the ongoing housing crisis here in New York City. The most recent New York State budget introduced the Affordable Housing from Commercial Conversions (AHCC) tax incentive, and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) website has since published newly… View more
By Gregory Fortino Last month, the New York City Council passed a bill that requires the Department of Buildings (DOB) to establish a proactive inspection program. Driven by the partial collapse of a Bronx apartment building in December 2023 and the collapse of a parking garage in lower Manhattan in April… View more
By Katherine Baerga As of Monday, May 13, 2024, all construction sign-off requests must be submitted online. The Department of Buildings (DOB) will no longer process emailed requests. DOB NOW: Construction Sign-Offs To request construction inspection sign-offs before occupancy in DOB NOW, complete the following steps: Log into DOB NOW: Build… View more
By Katherine Baerga Earlier this year, the Department of Buildings announced a new rule (1 RCNY §103-16) to ensure the safety of parking structures located in specific Community Districts. The rule requires a one-time initial observation of parking structures performed by August 1, 2024, and applies to such facilities in Manhattan… View more
By Frank Fortino New York State’s FY 2025 Enacted Budget marks an important step toward addressing the ongoing housing crisis. This multi-pronged plan reflects months of hard work as state officials met with industry leaders and advocacy groups to create a path forward. One challenge of such compromises is that the… View more
By Katherine Baerga Effective April 2, 2024, the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) has updated the procedures for Certificates of Fitness (COF). All Certificate of Fitness applicants must now apply and pay for the certification through the FDNY online portal, FDNY Business, before coming to the FDNY Headquarters for testing…. View more
