Development and Land Use
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…
NY Office of Renewable Energy Siting Issues Draft Regulations to Facilitate Swift Development of Large-Scale Renewable Energy Projects
On September 16, 2020, the newly formed Office of Renewable Energy Siting (“ORES”) issued draft regulations intended to streamline permitting and development of large-scale renewable energy projects in New York State. The draft regulations, which are now available for public comment, reflect New York’s ongoing effort to achieve the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act’s…
New York City Council Considers Amendment to Local Law 97 Affordable Housing Provisions
On May 28, 2020, New York City Councilmember Costa Constantinides, among others, introduced a bill—Int. No 1947—to significantly amend the affordable housing provisions of Local Law 97 of 2019. Local Law 97 and the technical amendments in Local Law 147 of 2019 require most new and existing buildings in New York City over 25,000 gross…