NYC Environmental Issues
City Issues New Local Law 97 Affordable Housing Guidance
New York City issued new guidance on compliance with Local Law 97 of 2019 (Local Law 97), as amended, for affordable housing and extended the compliance deadline for some types of rent regulated buildings. Local Law 97 requires most buildings over 25,000 square feet to meet progressively stringent greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) limits or to…
New Model High-Performance Lease Helps Unlock NYC’s Ambitious Climate Goals
In August 2021, the Institute for Market Transformation, with pro bono assistance from SPR, released a model high-performance lease that will provide critical assistance for commercial building owners and tenants seeking to advance building decarbonization and comply with NYC Local Law 97. A “high-performance lease” is a commercial lease that contains provisions that mandate…
NYC Department of Buildings Issues New Guidance on Local Law 97 Adjustment Applications
On Friday April 9, the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) issued its first Local Law 97 Adjustments Application Filing Guide. DOB began accepting adjustment applications on April 12, 2021 via its DOB NOW: Safety website. Local Law 97 of 2019 (LL97) requires most New York City buildings over 25,000 square feet to meet…
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…
New York City Council Passes Major Amendment to Local Law 97 Affordable Housing Provisions
On October 29, 2020, the New York City Council passed Int. No 1947-A—a bill that significantly amends the affordable housing provisions of Local Law 97 of 2019 to require more buildings to meet greenhouse gas emissions caps. Local Law 97 and the technical amendments in Local Law 147 of 2019 require most new and existing…
NYC Issues Proposed Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Loan Regulations
In late October 2020, the New York City Department of Finance issued proposed regulations to implement a Property Assessed Clean Energy (“PACE”) loan program in NYC to provide targeted loans with favorable terms to building owners for installation of systems designed to reduce energy use and carbon emissions. The deadline to submit comments on the…