By Bruno Caligara With summer fast approaching, many property owners will receive requests from tenants about the possibility of using a BBQ. The answer is, maybe. The Fire Code and the NYC Fuel Gas Code outlines what is permitted and compliance required to enjoy the use of summertime’s favorite cooking system…. View more
By Garvey Thelemaque This month, the DOB announced the adoption of a new software tool to help with Plan Review. Introduced recently by Deputy Borough Commissioner Rodney Gittens, Blue Beam is a proven tool which helps government agencies adopt more efficient processes for permitting and electronic plan review. DOB Plan Examiners will use… View more
By Wayne Sheppard About 15,000 daily passengers on the M23 will get faster trips starting in the fall under the plan from NYC and the MTA for Select Bus Service on 23rd Street. The agencies revealed their preliminary plan for M23 SBS, which calls for bus lanes on most of 23rd… View more
By Andrew J. Pisani The decision to move forward on a lighting retrofit makes economic sense, as enough data shows us that new technology in lighting, plus incentives offered by the City and State add up to a deal worth taking. The lighting systems available today simply outperform on an energy… View more
By Austin Regan It’s all about how a clock ticks. The new owners of 346 Broadway wished to convert the rooms that housed the mechanical equipment that ran a historic clock into a Penthouse apartment. The building, formerly owned by the City, is undergoing a transformation into luxury condos. A prominent… View more
By Brian Redlein On March 9th, in a very gray room in Albany, the New York State Code Council voted to enact an update to the State’s Energy Code. The upside is we have until late September, not June as previously thought, to prepare for the change. The downside is that… View more
By Brian Lafferty Starting in March 2016, the DOB began issuing DOB violations for energy code infractions. Violations for energy code infractions are Class 2 (major) violations, and carry a penalty unless dismissed by the ECB. In order to request dismissal, applicants must admit guilt and cure the violation with an… View more