The election was too close to call, on the Hoboken Rent Control referendum. It now looks as if the referendum to reform rent regulations in Hoboken failed by fewer than 100 votes out of about 10,000 — proving, if nothing else, that even in cities with a long tradition of rent regulation the voters are pretty evenly divided on the issue.
Bill de Blasio won the New York Mayoral election by a somewhat larger margin. The Real Estate industry reaction ranged from careful appraisals of his past pro-development actions — he has been a supporter of higher density and opponent of nimbyism — to concern about late reports in today’s Wall Street Journal that he is considering State Sen. Liz Krueger for a position as Housing Czar.
Meanwhile, the current administration keeps trying to smooth the way for construction with electronic filings. The Department of Buildings last week expanded the HUB e-filing and review service to include Alt. 2 and Alt. 3 permits for minor renovations. Major alteration applications, Alt. 1, filed through the HUB are generally processed three times faster than paper applications.
Are you still leaving money on the table? Get free rebates for construction materials and equipment you have already bought since April through the NYSBA Member Rebates Program. ABO members can get literally thousands of dollars for a few minutes filling out a form.
NYSERDA wants to give you money too. The State Energy Research and Development Authority is sponsoring a Combined Heat and Power -i.e., co-generation – expo from 10-3 November 22nd at The Hall at Times Center, 242 West 41st St, to explain the equipment and incentives.
Join ABO members and other industry leaders at the Massey Knakal Multifamily Summit November 20th and 21st. Use the code MP-25ABOGNY for a 25 percent discount. Click here to register.