Co-op and condo buildings can often seem like their own little self-contained worlds, with drama, politics, and debates aplenty. Given that, it's understandable why shareholder/owners might think the people who run their building—the boa…
A03813 -- Automatic Application Approval --Requires applications to purchase condominiums or cooperatives to be acted upon within sixty days. Failure to do so would result in an automatic approval. 02/04/2005 referred to Housing 04/0…
As the legislative session in Albany winds down, with the Legislature passing the budget on time for the first time in two decades and the City Council continuing with its business, now is a good time to take a look at some of the housing-r…
When you're on the board of a co-op or condo building, sometimes it can feel like you need a law degree to understand all of the paperwork that gets thrown at you. Depending on where you live, there are bylaws and proprietary leases and hou…
The past year has seen a lot of changes in the codes governing New York City's buildings, both inside and out. Rules covering lead paint, carbon monoxide detection, and construction permits have been introduced or revised, and it's up to bo…
In a city as densely populated as New York City, government agencies such as the Department of Sanitation of New York (DSNY) have their work cut out for them when it comes to strategically managing the 365-day-a-year task of picking up the …
February 21, 2005 signaled the commencement of the sixth cycle of New York City's façade inspection laws: Local Laws 10 (1980) and 11 (1998), now referred to collectively as Local Law 11. It has been a full quarter-century since New …
On May 5, 2005, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg proposed a $49.7 billion budget plan for Fiscal Year 2006 that closes a once $4 billion budget gap and continues to invest in education, housing, human services, public safety and economic developm…
With annual meeting season upon us lots of shareholders contemplate leaving the sidelines behind to join the ruling class. Before you decide to cross over, be forewarned that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. To help you mak…
For decades, the most desirable residential buildings were those with visible security systems, liveried door staffs, concierges, elevator operators, keyless locks, state-of-the-art intercom systems and video cameras. Over the course of the…
Several years ago, the only television shows on buying and selling real estate were late-night or Sunday morning agonizing, yet tantalizing, infomercials touting get-rich-quick products. These shows taught viewers that by simply buying t…
As part of a New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC) project, Maple Plaza in East Harlem was constructed in the late 1990s in hopes that the building would help anchor redevelopment efforts in the neighborhood. The eight-story, …