New York RealEstateRama

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the resolution of an investigation into non-payment of wages by Stonehenge Restoration Inc. (“Stonehenge”) and its owners and managers, Sulajman Koci and Witold Matejkowski, on constructions projects located in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The Attorney General’s agreement requires Stonehenge to pay back wages and liquidated damages totaling $76,429.81.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced awards of approximately $100,000 each will be given to 83 communities across the state to support innovative microgrid projects. These awards were granted as part of the NY Prize microgrid competition to support a new generation of community-based power under Governor Cuomo’s Reforming the Energy Vision strategy

U.S. Representative Kathleen Rice today called for apprenticeships to be included in Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) for federal construction projects. In a letter to President Obama and U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez, Rice urged the President to encourage federal agencies to enter into PLAs with contractors that graduate apprentices from certified apprenticeship programs.

The Alliance for Downtown New York’s Board of Directors last night unanimously elected Brookfield Properties Partners’ Global Office CEO Dennis Friedrich as its new Chairman. Friedrich replaces Robert Douglass, who has served as the Alliance’s Chairman since its inception in 1995 and will remain a member on the Board of Directors.

In the New York State Comptroller’s report entitled “County Tax Cap Recap,” New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli summarized tax cap compliance actions taken by counties throughout the State. Enacted in 2011, the Property Tax Cap legislation limits the amount by which local governments and school districts can raise property taxes – to the lesser of the rate of inflation or 2 percent

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and New York City Mayor’s Office of Veterans’ Affairs joined The Jericho Project, B & B Supportive, and other partners to announce the start of construction on 2065 Walton Avenue, a new development that will provide affordable housing and supportive services to formerly homeless veterans and at-risk young adults, with special attention to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender homeless youth population

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced today the growth of solar in New York State has increased more than 300 percent from 2011 to 2014, which is twice the rate of U.S. solar growth overall. The significant increase affirms the value of Governor Cuomo’s Reforming the Energy Vision strategy – which includes the $1 billion NY-Sun Initiative – to build a clean, resilient and affordable energy system for all New Yorkers.

Omni Housing Development, LLC and New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) joined other state and local partners today to celebrate the start of the substantial renovation of Ohav Shalom Apartments, a 210-unit affordable development for seniors. The 12-story development in Albany, built in 1974, is in need of major upgrades including building-wide systems, improvements to exterior and new kitchens and bathrooms. The financing provided by HCR will keep the development affordable and sustainable for the future, while creating 175 construction jobs and preserving seven permanent jobs.

Governor Cuomo congratulated 75 New Americans who were sworn in as U.S. Citizens at the New York Public Library’s landmark Stephen A. Schwarzman Building and welcomed another 575 immigrants who will be sworn in during various naturalization ceremonies throughout the rest of New York State.

Governor Cuomo announced that temporary lane closures associated with road and bridge construction projects on New York State highways will not be allowed from 6 a.m. on Friday, July 3, to 10 p.m. Sunday, July 5, in order to accommodate travelers during the busy Independence Day holiday weekend. Some work may continue behind permanent concrete barriers or for emergency repairs

After State Senator Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester) called for an immediate investigation of Bronx slumlord Phillip Goldfarb for the flagrant harassment and unlawful eviction of tenants in The Bronx, representatives from the New York City Department of Buildings today issued two stop work orders on 1135 Pelham Parkway North. The New York State Department of Housing and Community Renewal, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, and New York State Attorney General’s office also visited the property to meet with residents and inspect the building

U.S. Reps. Joe Crowley (D-NY), Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus, Chris Smith (R-NJ), Ted Deutch (D-FL), and Leonard Lance (R-NJ) announced they led 42 bipartisan members in a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry expressing strong and ongoing support for the restitution of Jewish communal, private, and heirless property seized across Europe during the Holocaust. They also urged the State Department to continue efforts to address the issue swiftly and in collaboration with the legislative branch

The John Jay College of Criminal Justice expansion project at City University of New York in Manhattan has earned national recognition in the 2015 Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel awards program (IDEAS2). In honor of this achievement, members of the project team will be presented with awards from the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) during a ceremony at the building on Thursday, July 9, at 10:30 a.m.

Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12), Council Member Dan Garodnick (District 4), Council Member Ben Kallos (District 5), New York State Democratic Committee Vice Chair Trudy L. Mason, and representatives from Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer and Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright issued a list of the top five challenges that could delay completion of phase 1 of the 2nd Avenue Subway

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) today released the “Request for Proposal” (RFP) for potential developers to expand 100 percent affordable housing opportunities at three NYCHA developments, including Ingersoll (Fort Greene, Brooklyn), Van Dyke (Brownsville, Brooklyn) and Mill Brook (Mott Haven, the Bronx.) The plan to create affordable senior and family housing on underused NYCHA property was the outcome of an extensive and meaningful planning process with hundreds of residents and community advocates.

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today joined representatives from Bank of America and Citi to announce commitments by both companies to finance the construction or rehabilitation of more than 2,300 affordable housing rental units in New York City. The financial commitments, which arise out of the multi-million dollar settlements the Attorney General announced last summer, are aimed at helping New Yorkers that were hardest hit by the 2008 housing crash. Statewide, low-interest lending by the two institutions will create or preserve 3,780 affordable housing rental units.

Federal Economic Development Funding Would Enable Ulster Performing Arts Center To Make Major Renovations To Facilities, Including Adding Public Safety Upgrades & Public Restrooms, Improving Building Energy Efficiency, And Installing A New AC System So Theater Can Stay Open During Summer Months

Four outdoor access projects to make outdoor recreational sites more accessible to New Yorkers of all abilities are now complete, Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens announced today. The $245,000 in projects are part of a statewide effort to increase access to boat launches, fishing access sites, trails and other outdoor sites and are funded by the NY Works program.

The New York Power Authority and an Israeli software development firm have been awarded a $900,000 grant to develop a system that can rapidly detect malfunctioning power transformers before they cause larger problems on the electric grid.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that he is deploying Department of Financial Services representatives to Chester in Orange County and Monticello in Sullivan County to offer foreclosure prevention assistance to financially struggling homeowners.

U.S. Representative Kathleen Rice today announced that two local organizations have been awarded nearly $300,000 in federal grant funds to help homeless veterans on Long Island find jobs and sustainable housing. Easter Seals New York, Inc. will receive $150,000 and United Veterans Beacon House, Inc. will receive $145,000 through the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP).

Congressman Gregory Meeks released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court’s decision to preserve the disparate impact standard under the Fair Housing Act. “The Supreme Court’s decision to preserve “disparate impact” is a major victory for civil rights and fair housing defenders who have relied on this instrument for the past four decades to challenge discriminatory housing practices.

Greenpoint Landing Associates and L+M Development Partners, together with New York City’s Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen, Housing, Preservation & Development Commissioner Vicki Been, Housing Development Corporation President Gary Rodney, Department of Buildings Commissioner Rick Chandler, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Deputy Brooklyn Borough President Diana Reyna, and Council Member Stephen Levin today marked the progress of Greenpoint Landing, the mixed-income 22-acre development along the East River set to transform a section of long-underutilized Greenpoint waterfront

Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the Democratic Conference Leader, delivered her closing remarks on the Senate floor Thursday. While important legislation was passed, she also touched on the missed opportunities to create more affordable housing, tax relief for working families, mandate relief for local government and increasing the minimum wage to lift more people out of poverty.

New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Commissioner Joan McDonald today announced that construction is underway on a $1.1 million project to rehabilitate the bridge carrying State Route 19 over Sandy Creek in the town of Hamlin, Monroe County. The bridge will be closed to traffic for the construction beginning Monday, July 6.