Sixty elevators built by the Global Tardif company were shut down by the Buildings Department because of braking concerns, Monday, in the wake of a fatal accident two weeks ago. Yesterday, the City Council passed legislation requiring the Buildings Commissioner to refer uncorrected hazardous elevator violations to the Housing Department for emergency repair. Previously, the Commissioner could refer the violations at his discretion.
AFL-CIO investment funds will invest $1 billion in affordable housing in New York City and City Comptroller Scott Stringer, yesterday, anted up $150 million in pension funds for the effort, as long as union labor is used. The union and Stringer are at odds with the Mayor and developers over whether it is affordable to build ‘affordable’ housing with union wages. Interestingly, according to prevailing wages published by Stringer’s office, union laborers won’t be allowed to live in affordable housing under the Mayor’s proposed mandatory inclusionary zoning formulas because they make too much. Laborers apparently earn about $84,000 a year and, depending on the program, affordable units are restricted to those making under $46,620 or $62,150 for a family of three.
Details of proposed zoning changes in the Flushing West area were revealed Wednesday night. The rezoning process will probably be completed late in 2016. A large chunk of the neighborhood would be changed from C4-2 to C4-4A to encourage mixed use development.
Airbnb is causing median rents in some neighborhoods to be $37-$69 a month higher than they would be by taking Class A units off the market, according to an analysis released Wednesday by The Real Deal.
The City launched a new website, Neighborhoods.nyc, this week, highlighting construction projects, Buildings and Health Department complaints, and, apparently, some 311 calls.