2009 Sept
Focus on... Energy & The Environment

Many of the organizations mentioned often in the pages of The Cooperator are extremely high-profile; constantly seeking new members, holding seminars and social events, meeting with city and state legislators, and holding outreach prog…

 Real estate professionals, developers and builders are all reporting the same thing: today’s homebuyers who are looking for maximum value are asking for more than granite countertops and hardwood floors—they want energy savings and green …

You know that when one of the world’s most famous skyscrapers goes green, the future of energy efficient buildings has been changed forever. Earlier this year, it was announced that the Empire State Building would begin a $20 million re…

Thirty-three years ago, during the summer of 1976’s energy crisis, 40 people gathered on the rooftop of 519 East 11th Street in Manhattan’s East Village, beers in hand, determined to create their own power source. With enthusiasm, flavo…

 Talk of “green” homes and buildings these days often evokes images of roof gardens, solar  panels, and even wind turbines humming in the background. For most co-ops and  condos however, “going green” comes incrementally, in much smaller m…

If one wants to ascertain the state of the green building industry, shared—or “fractionally owned”—vacation condos might be a good place to start. While many homebuyers will settle for an uninspiring exurb lot near a convenient …

New York City is actively pursuing measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions citywide. Achieving this goal will take the combination of numerous initiatives, but in order to make significant strides, the city must address its biggest…

 There was a time when Long Island City’s waterfront area wasn’t exactly a hot residential neighborhood. With its looming industrial buildings  with a few small residential buildings thrown together near the East River, the  area was more …

 Saving money by going green sounds great, but who has that initial capital in  these tough economic times? The average person may not be able to afford a hybrid car or a solar panel  array, however, there are many energy-saving changes yo…

When it comes to the windows in your building, like most people you’re probably focused on energy conservation—keeping the air conditioning inside in the summer and the cold air outside in the winter. While you’re probably aware that not…

Steam was once considered the lifeblood of Manhattan, providing heat to thousands of apartments and buildings. Even today, Con Edison provides steam for heat and hot water to approximately 1,800 buildings in New York City. However, upk…

Despite the heavy rains, which kicked off this summer season, the thoughts of beaches, vacations, barbecues, family picnics and ball games still permeate the air. The last thing on most people’s minds is the icy chill of winter. However…

 Fortunately for boards looking to cut costs while still providing needed  services to their buildings, many vendors are advertising bargain basement  prices to fortify their own business. Unfortunately, the risk of getting stuck  with unf…

 When you rank the key players who keep your building functioning from day to  day, the superintendent should probably be placed close to the top of the list.  A building’s super has a tremendous amount of responsibility, including looking…

Q I am a member on the board of directors of a co-op in Nassau County, New York. We are experiencing a problem with a shareholder, who we believe regularly smokes “pot” and also entertains fellow smokers in his apartment. The odor pe…

Q My question concerns the various forms of compensation our building’s super receives and the shareholders’ right to know the exact sum of his monthly income, as an exact cost to the building. Our super has a fixed salary, which is di…

Q I’ve lived in my Manhattan co-op for nearly 20 years. We elected a new board  president a little over a year ago, and in that short time our board has raised  the monthly maintenance three times. Can a board just keep raising our  ma…

As the trilogy of real estate values rising, building usage changing, and cellphone and Internet communications became universal, wireless telecommunications companies became popular defendants in the Commercial Part of New York’s Civi…