New York RealEstateRama

An audit released today by New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer found that New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) keeps apartments off the rent rolls for an average of 7 years while doing major repairs. A total of 80 apartments have been left vacant for over a decade, and another 161 apartments have been empty for between three and ten years. In addition, while the Authority claims to have 2,342 vacant apartments, the audit made clear that NYCHA’s figures were estimates at best, with some of the units actually occupied by squatters and other City agencies.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and the Chair of the Committee on Aging Steven Cymbrowitz announced the passage of several measures to strengthen the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) and Disability Rent Increase Exemption (DRIE) programs that preserve affordable housing for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

U.S. Department Of Housing And Urban Development’s Office Of Healthy Homes And Lead Hazard Control Program Provides Vital Funding To Rid Homes Of Lead Hazards, But House Republicans Have Proposed Slashing $35 Million In Fed Funding For Key Program

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $500,000 in federal funding for the Town of Machias in Cattaraugus County. The funding was allocated through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development Water and Waste Disposal Grant Program and allows the Village of Arcade and Town of Machias to make critical improvements to their wastewater and sewage systems. Specifically, these funds will allow Machias to construct a wastewater collection system around Lime Lake, as well as a transmission line to connect to an existing sewer main near Village of Arcade Wastewater

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $500,000 in federal funding for the Town of Machias in Cattaraugus County. The funding was allocated through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development Water and Waste Disposal Grant Program and allows the Village of Arcade and Town of Machias to make critical improvements to their wastewater and sewage systems. Specifically, these funds will allow Machias to construct a wastewater collection system around Lime Lake, as well as a transmission line to connect to an existing sewer main near Village of Arcade Wastewater Treatment Plant

New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) today announced the release of a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) for a mixed-income, live/work development on a City-owned site on Spofford Avenue in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx. The RFEI represents an exciting opportunity to develop the City’s next creative live/work community in an area that is well served by public transportation and is in walking distance to residential neighborhoods, recreational amenities and cultural institutions.

Senator Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester), together with Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj (D-Bronx), Director of Housing and Community Development at the Neighborhood Initiatives Development Corporation Hazel Miura, community activists and nearly 100 Bronx tenants, today called on New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, the Tenant Harassment Prevention Task Force and the New York State Department of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) to investigate Bronx slumlords Martin Scharf and Phillip Goldfarb for the flagrant harassment and unlawful eviction of residents at 3555 Bruckner Boulevard and the Goldfarb Properties in The Bronx.

Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer today announced her office’s Fiscal Year 2016 capital grant awardees. The grants will be included in the final Fiscal Year 2016 city budget, whose adoption by the City Council is expected later this month.

Mayor Richard C. David today joined developers Syed Ali and Adam Ibrahim and representatives from Tioga State Bank to announce a $2.5 million housing project at 73 Court St. in Downtown Binghamton.

The New York State Department of Transportation (DOT), in cooperation with the City of Hornell and the State Departments of Health (DOH) and Environmental Conservation (DEC), will host a public information meeting on Wednesday, July 1, regarding a water treatment facility it is installing to service two city water supply wells in Hornellsville, Steuben County.

Congressman Charles B. Rangel, who represents Upper Manhattan and the Bronx, released the following statement after LG Electronics USA announced, after almost a year of negotiations, that it has reached agreement on a new design that will create a world-class, sustainably designed building to the benefit of LG, the town of Englewood Cliffs and the state of New Jersey, while protecting the iconic vistas and integrity of the Palisades Park, a National Natural and Historic Landmark

Stilt-walkers, balloons and drama will be on full display in Downtown Manhattan on Wednesday as the WeWork cleaners tell the story of their fight for good jobs, fair pay and respect.

The 10-year loan, provided by a regional balance sheet lender, features a competitive fixed-rate of 3.68% and five-years of interest-only payments followed by a 30-year amortization schedule. This transaction was negotiated by Meridian Capital Group Vice President, Judah Hammer, who is based in the Company’s New York City headquarters

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer recently announced new legislation to combat the recent rise in carbon monoxide-related deaths. Schumer said he is co-sponsoring S. 1250, the Nicholas and Zachary Burt Memorial Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act. The legislation would allow the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to provide support for public safety education and encourage installation of safe and reliable carbon monoxide detectors

Congresswoman Nita Lowey (Westchester/Rockland), the Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee, today announced $29,498,111 in FY2015 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title I program funding for schools in New York’s 17^th Congressional District (NY-17), which includes parts of Westchester County and all of Rockland County. This year’s funding is an increase over the previous year’s allocation.

Congresswoman Nita Lowey (Westchester/Rockland), the Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee, today announced $549,000 in federal grants from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to Westchester County Airport for road rehabilitation and drainage improvements

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Has Included A Federal Investment of $600K to Identify Best Ways to Protect Flood-Prone Susquehanna River Watershed Region, But A Feasible Plan Must Be In Place To Ensure Results

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $39,150 in federal funding for the Elmira Fire Department. The money was allocated through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. The Elmira Fire Department will use this federal investment to outfit active members with new protective gear

U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Charles E. Schumer, Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy with Representatives Steve Israel a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, and Lee Zeldin today introduced legislation to continue to support the restoration of Long Island Sound through 2020. The Sound borders New York and Connecticut, with 9 million people living on the coast and 24 million people living within 50 miles. Although decades of overdevelopment, pollution, dumping of dredged materials, and releases of untreated sewage have severely hurt the water quality, the Sound’s economic contribution, including from sport and commercial fishing, boating, recreation and tourism, is estimated to be between $17 billion and $37 billion annually

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced resurfacing projects totaling $75 million will be completed this year on approximately 428 lane miles of state highways across New York. Funding for these projects was accelerated into this construction season in order to repair widespread damage from deep frost over the winter

The New York statewide median home selling price reached $226,500 in May, an increase of 6.2 percent compared to last May, according to the housing market report released today by the New York State Association of REALTORS. May closed sales declined by 2.6 percent compared to May 2014.

Campaign Will Promote AGScamHelp.com, A Web-Based App To Educate Consumers On How To Avoid And Report Mortgage Rescue Scams. Schneiderman: Informed Homeowners Are the Most Powerful Tools Against Foreclosure Scams

Agriculture remains one of the top industries in New York State, and there is more demand than ever for fresh, locally-grown products both at home and in restaurants. We need to make sure that New York’s 36,000 family farms are kept in the family and remain an integral part of our state’s future

In a recent meeting with its cleaning contractor, a WeWork executive said more than 100 cleaners at the coworking start-up’s New York City offices should all be fired for organizing a union. Threatening to fire workers for union activity violates federal labor law. 32BJ SEIU, the union the workers want to join, has filed an Unfair Labor Practice with the National Labor Relations Board.

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer urged the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today to swiftly review and approve the village of Gowanda’s application for funding to repair the Point Peter Reservoir System, which was damaged by the May 2014 flooding. The severe storms in Western New York brought severe rain and flooding to Cattaraugus County, including the Village of Gowanda.