Backflow prevention devices to keep building wastes and chemicals from entering the drinking supply have been required for years, but new buildings will need them to keep sewage out under legislation enacted Wednesday. In another action driven by the lessons of Hurricane Sandy, Mayor Bloomberg also signed a bill requiring backup power for automatic flush toilets.
Earlier in the week, Mayor Bloomberg announced the new WiredNYC certification system — intended to be a LEED-like certification for office broadband. The idea is to help tenants find well connected buildings and encourage building owners to up their Internet game.
In a case where the City’s right and left hands were at odds, the Environmental Control Board dismissed a violation and fine issued by the Department of Buildings for the illegal renting of a Class A apartment for a short term stay through Airbnb. The violation, of course, was issued to the building owner, but in this case Airbnb backed a challenge by the tenant –presumably because tenants don’t tend to lose in proceedings in New York City. In fact, the ECB ruled that it wasn’t technically an illegal rental because the tenant’s roommate was in the apartment with the paying visitor the whole time.
The Mayor did have a victory in another City agency this week, however, when the City Planning Commission approved his Midtown East rezoning proposal. The plan goes next to the City Council.
Property taxes are unfair, according to an analysis by the Independent Budget Office for The Daily News. Poor neighborhoods are over assessed and rich neighborhoods are under assessed, and the problem is compounded by assessment caps intended to promote fairness. Surprise.
Surprise, too, that Congress is dysfunctional. The budget standoff in Washington means, in the short term, that FHA cannot fund new loan commitments. HUD will temporarily be able to renew HAP contracts with funding from prior year appropriations and, for the same reason, can make Section 8 tenant assistance payments into November, but we will see what happens after that runs out.