New York City is announcing new online services for developers, owners and managers almost as often as they are issuing RFPs for development projects. Of course, what they give with one hand they take away with the other…

The Department of Transportation this week opened a new online Street Manual, a guide and map to street work, permit application and street closing information. The idea is to coordinate information from capital plans, utility work, and private permits to limit conflicts. The portal even has links to weekly resurfacing plans

Meanwhile, the Department of Environmental Protection entered a new agreement with the State to limit sewer overflows.  The 20-year $2.4 billion plan relies on more than $1 billion from private investment that will be required in Green Infrastructure, such as roof water retention capacity, that the City just proposed a few weeks ago.

Mayor Bloomberg seems personally conflicted on development as well. The Post reported that he is looking forward to his last groundbreaking and thinking about shoveling the last scoop of dirt at reporters.

Invitations for our December 1st annual dinner will be in the mail next week. For now, be sure to sign up for our November 3rd luncheon on the best amenities to include in new developments and renovations.

The City and Brookfield properties seem to have backed down on emptying Zuccotti Park for cleaning this morning, but the issues of Privately Owned Pubic Spaces won’t go away. There are 520 of them in New York City. Brookfield laid out some of the issues and liabilities they face in a letter to the City, including the necessity to provide required access to individuals who aren’t protesting.

DOB is trying to help us again. The Mayor and Buildings Commissioner LiMandri opened a high tech plan review center this week. Digital construction plans can be submitted to the Department, reviewed electronically, and amended or approved with less need for actual physical meetings. We hope this means the examiners will spend more than 20 minutes a month considering architects and engineers issues on each specific project, and if yours is finished you can hire the professionals from https://www.kodiakclean.com/ to leave the project perfect and ready.

ABO has been asked to nominate an Associate Member of the Year by the New York State Home Builders Association. Send your suggestions for an Associate member who works for you and the industry to Dan Margulies at the ABO office.

Federal and New York City law enforcement agents and officers yesterday arrested HPD Assistant Commissioner Wendell Walters and six others on charges of racketeering conspiracy, bribery, extortion, wire fraud and money laundering on HPD projects in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. The others arrested were Stevenson Dunn, Lee Hymowitz, Esq., Michael Freeman, Esq., Sergio Benitez, Robert Morales and Angel Villalona.

Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri announced that Limited Alteration Applications involving standpipe, sprinkler, plumbing and oil burner work can now be filed online using the Department of Buildings’ electronic filing system.  More than 12,000 such applications were filed in person last year.

You probably know that the City is mandating conversion of 6 Oil Burners to 4 or 2 oil or natural gas, but did you know that you might have to redo your tank containment or line your chimney as part of the process? Check out the pitfalls to look out for in this article by Richard Schunk of RAS Associates LLC. Or, attend NYARMs October 26th seminar. Call 212 216-0654 for reservations.

Bill Jennings of Marks Paneth and Shron LLP passed along a reminder to Nassau County property owners that New York isn’t the only one that requires Income and Expense Reports for  commercial property. The Nassau deadline is  Nov. 1st.

If you are still handling tenant rejections the way you did last spring, you are probably violating new credit reporting rules promulgated this summer under the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. If you base the rejection on a credit score, you now have to give the applicant the score along with other required information.

Save the Dates:
November 3rd – ABO Luncheon
December 1st – ABO Annual Dinner

AvalonBay Communities will be honored as Development Company of the Year at ABO’s annual dinner gala, December 1st. Save the date!

Two city agencies offered development opportunities this week. HPD is looking for someone to build  a mix of affordable housing, ground-floor retail/commercial, community facility space, parking and/or accessory open space on four lots on Livonia Avenue in East New York. Get the land for one dollar.

The MTA wants to raise money by selling 15 properties it doesn’t use, including it’s former headquarters, a 459,000 sq. ft. office building at 370 Jay St. in Brooklyn. Some of the properties are just air rights.

Selling condos? Sign up for the Certified New Home Sales Professional class offered Oct. 11, 13th and 14th by ABO and NYSBA and learn to sell better. Call ABO for info.

Today is the last day for free member registration to attend the International Builders Show in Orlando in February.

Is crystalline silica (quartz dust from cement and bricks, for example) the new asbestos? Residents are suing over allegedly hazardous dust from façade work at an East Side condominium.

The City Department of Environmental Protection issues violations to 90 percent of the new restaurants it inspects for undersized grease traps or inadequate trap maintenance. One of the problems is that DEP has different standards than the Department of Buildings, so give your new restaurant tenants a heads up to check the rules. DEP also provides sample notices for residential tenants advising them not to pour grease down the drain because it can clog pipes and cause sewer backups.

Patience may be a virtue, but it seems to be hard to define. Both Winston Fisher of Fisher Brothers and Norman Sturner of Murray Hill Properties told the GreenPearl Beyond Distress conference yesterday that traditional patient money investors were back in New York and flippers with  two to five year horizons were gone. But, in response to questions about buildings trading at 4 caps, Fisher said he wouldn’t buy a building that didn’t have a more positive cash flow and Sturner said he had never bought a building with any cash flow.

Liability isn’t easy to understand either. Yesterday, the Court of Appeals said the Port Authority had governmental immunity from liability in connection with the 1993 truck bomb attack. In 2005, a jury found the Authority 68 percent liable for not preventing the attack and the terrorists 32 percent liable for committing it. Only in New York. Anyway, the decision has an interesting discussion of government vs. proprietary responsibility that will have you scratching your heads. Apparently when the Port Authority analyzes all risks and chooses what to guard against, it is exercising governmental authority, but when you do the same thing, you are liable.

The special congressional committee on deficit reduction seems to have been “created to fail” NAHB President Jerry Howard told ABO members at our luncheon, Wednesday. While he thought serious debt reduction legislation might be a year or more away, carried interest, mortgage interest deductions and government backed mortgage securities are all heavily in play and could have dramatic effects on the housing market. NAHB is meeting with congressional and presidential candidates to press the case for a sound housing policy. However, if you need help managing or reducing your business debts now, you may seek uk insolvency service.

In a battle closer to home, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted this week to freeze 21 buildings in a new Borough Hall Skyscraper Historic District over the objections of owners and business groups. The City Planning Commission and City Council take up the issue next.

Rumor has it that the City requirement for Energy Benchmarking buildings over 50,000 square feet may set a new benchmark for non-compliance and fines. Owners who failed to file by August 1st will get bills for $500 per quarter. The next quarterly deadline to file without another $500 fine is November 1st. Check this list to see if your property should have been filed.

Dire predictions for carried interest and mortgage interest deductions were made to developers at yesterday’s NAHB Multifamily Housing Council meeting in Milwaukee. Experts also questioned whether the special congressional committee to cut the budget would meet its goals.

Jerry Howard, president of NAHB will try to bring clarity to the issues at next week’s ABO luncheon.

Meanwhile, NAHB also reported at its fall board meeting yesterday that its Multifamily Production Index hit 44.6 in the second quarter, the highest level since 2006, and up from 16 in the third quarter of 2008. Multifamily remains one of the bright spots in the national housing industry, albeit a dim spot historically.

Make plans today to join your colleagues for four days of non-stop business and networking at the International Builder’s Show February 8-11 in Orlando. With more than 50,000 attendees, 1,000 suppliers and nearly 200 education sessions, you’ll get a year’s worth of value in just 96 hours.

Register in September and receive the best pricing! NAHB members can register for a 4-day expo pass during September for no charge and non-members can purchase the same expo pass for only $50!  And spouse registration is free during September only.

IBS education sessions are available on a first-come, first served basis to Full Registrants and those who purchase a One- or Two-Day Education with Expo Registration. Be sure to arrive early if you are particularly interested in a session as they can fill up to capacity. Saturday sessions are complimentary.

Save the date for ABO’s annual dinner dance, Thursday, December 1, 2011. Details coming soon.

Crain’s New York reported that the Department of Buildings has created a new position to speed construction approvals.

Fred Mosher, an architect at Skidmore Owings & Merrill with more than 24 years of design and construction experience, has been appointed to the new job of deputy commissioner of building development. He will be in charge of construction-plan examination operations and the issuing of permits in all five boroughs.  “New development is critical to ensuring that our city continues to grow, and Fred Mosher’s expertise will help move more projects forward so more people can go back to work,” said Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri, according to Crain’s.

If you manage property and you or your staff haven’t signed up for this fall’s Registered in Apartment Management class, starting Wednesday, call the ABO office today and talk to Olga Chernomorets. We expect approval for 22.5 hours of NY real estate continuing education credit, but this class is much, much more. Forty-five hours that lead to one of the industry’s most prestigious, nationally recognized management certifications. You can also get more information at registeredmanager.com.

Irene is coming. The Dept. of Buildings has issued a weather alert and instructions for securing construction sites.  In severe hurricane conditions experts recommend getting below the 10th floor of high rises.

Experts recommend getting below the 10th floor of high rises during hurricanes. For information for you and your tenants the City Office of Emergency Management has many resources and this guide.

On a more positive note, those RFPs to develop city property keep on coming. This time it is Broadway Plaza at West 230th St. in the Bronx. The 74,880 sq. ft. parcel is zoned C4-4  and is currently a parking lot.

City Planning is making it easier to identify zoning, building, ownership, tax, and related information with one click. ZoLa is a map search engine that combines information from multiple city agencies.

Reserve now for our Sept. 14th luncheon featuring NAHB President Jerry Howard.  Learn more about NAHB Member Advantage savings at: www.nahb.org/ma.