The City Rent Guidelines Board held its first public hearing on a possible 0 percent guideline last night in the Bronx and a few dozen tenants showed up. It did not get much press, but cable television news had a report. Three more hearings are planned.
City Planning Commissioner Carl Weisbrod is taking steps to speed the project review process so that the ULURP clock can start earlier.
The City Council, meanwhile, has created a new ten person development review unit because “lawmakers said they want to kick-start development projects, and negotiate better deals with developers separately from the Department of City Planning.” It is not clear how the Council negotiating projects directly with developers will speed things along.
The City Economic Development Corporation has acquired one of the last remaining private properties in the 62 acre Willets Point Development site. Three billion dollars worth of apartments, hotels, stores, schools and parks have been on the drawing boards for a decade.
Hear what else the EDC is doing to implement the Mayor’s Housing Plan at the ABO luncheon June 25th with Kyle Kimball, president of the Economic Development Corporation. Click here to reserve your place online or call the ABO office for information.
The U.S. Supreme Court this week decided in CTS Corp. vs. Waldburger that the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, intended to preempt State Statutes of Limitations on toxic torts did not preempt State Statutes of Repose. New York State, for example, has a ten year Statute of Repose on construction tort cases against engineers and architects.