Development and Land Use
New York Supreme Court Dismisses Challenge to Local Law 97
On October 30, 2023, the New York Supreme Court, New York County dismissed a significant legal challenge to New York City’s building emissions law, Local Law 97 of 2019. The decision provides clarity to the NYC real estate community that Local Law 97 is valid, enforceable, and constitutional. The law’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caps…
New Proposed Local Law 97 Regulations Include Penalty Mitigation, Electrification, and Enforcement Provisions
On September 12, 2023, the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) issued proposed regulations to implement Local Law 97 of 2019 (LL97). LL97 requires most large buildings in NYC to meet increasingly stringent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions limits starting in 2024. The proposed regulations establish penalty mitigation pathways, create incentives for electrification, and clarify…
NYC Mayor’s Office of Environmental Remediation Proposes New Enforcement Rules
In September 2022, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Environmental Remediation (OER) published draft rules proposing to establish OER’s authority to commence enforcement actions against parties who fail to comply with OER-approved Site Management Plans (SMPs). The proposed rules would enable OER to issue summonses returnable before the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings, and seek…
NYC Department of Buildings Releases Proposed Local Law 97 Regulations
On October 6, 2022, the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) issued proposed regulations to implement Local Law 97 of 2019 (LL97). LL97 requires most large buildings in NYC to meet increasingly stringent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions limits starting in 2024. The proposed regulations include three key components and numerous other clarifications to the…
NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson Introduces Proposal to Transform Land Use Planning
At the New York City Council’s last meeting of 2020, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson introduced proposed legislation that would, if passed, overhaul New York City’s land use planning framework. The legislation, accompanied by a report entitled Planning Together: A New Comprehensive Planning Framework for New York City, would create a ten-year comprehensive planning cycle…
Equinor Becomes Leading U.S. Offshore Wind Developer with 2,500 Megawatt Award from New York State
In his January 13, 2021 State of the State address, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that New York will contract with Equinor Wind US LLC (Equinor) for 2,490 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind energy, the largest combined procurement of offshore wind energy by a state in U.S. history. Governor Cuomo also announced plans to make…