Page 6 - CooperatorNews New York Expo 2021

6 COOPERATORNEWS — OCTOBER 2021 COOPERATORNEWS.COM CooperatorNews.com From COOPERATORNEWS.COM NYC’s Going Electric Where Will Apartment Dwellers Charge Their Cars? BY DARCEY GERSTEIN On September 9, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill banning the sale of in- ternal combustion engine passenger cars and light trucks by 2035. On its face, this new law 1,000 curbside charging stations throughout the five boroughs by 2025, with that number doesn’t seem to have much to do with the multifamily housing industry...until you consider increasing to 10,000 curbside charging stations by 2030. the fact that many of the state’s residents—and a vast majority of New York City dwell- ers—live in multifamily buildings, and have neither the space nor the authority to install $0.30 per kW from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays and $0.25 all other times, with payment the charging stations needed to power electric vehicles (EVs). As laws like these shift the handled by EV infrastructure company ChargePoint using its smartphone app. Consoli- momentum toward an EV future, providing ready access to charging is one of the biggest dated Edison will provide the electricity. issues facing New Yorkers during the transition. NYC may be on the verge of solving that issue. CleanTechnica reports that the Big Apple public EV chargers, will play a key role in reducing climate changing greenhouse gases, plans to create one of the country’s largest electric vehicle charging networks over the next lowering the risk of respiratory illnesses, reducing noise, and ending our reliance on fossil 10 years in an effort to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate fuels,” says Ben Furnas, director of the mayor’s Office of Climate and Sustainability. change. The plan was released the day after the governor’s announcement, and is another important component of the city’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. The Plan Department of Transportation (DOT) head Hank Gutman said in a statement: “With right prohibiting, or imposing unreasonable restrictions on, the installation or use of EV the climate crisis upon us, it’s time to plan bigger about how New York City can dramati- cally accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles. With major federal investments in EV in a common element that is specifically assigned to or designated for a particular owner. charging on the horizon, our plan lays the groundwork for a network of tens of thousands The amendment stipulates that the owner, including any successive owner, is responsible of public EV chargers equitably distributed across the city, enabling many more car owners for all installation costs, fees, insurance, maintenance, and costs of utilities for the charging to go electric.” (It should be noted that the federal investments to which Gutman refers are station. part of President Joe Biden’s $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that has yet to pass through Congress.) CleanTechnica estimates that New York City will need 400,000 electric vehicles on the parking facilities. Boards that are looking to be proactive in their policies and capital proj- city’s streets by 2030 to meet the 2050 carbon neutrality goal. To make that happen, all ects that can beneficially impact the planet, the local environment, and the value of their those EV drivers need adequate access to chargers. To get there, says the outlet, the city homes would be well advised to look into EV charging possibilities in and around their plans to install 40,000 public Level 2 (L2) chargers and 6,000 DC fast chargers throughout property. the city by 2030. All municipal parking lots and garages will have 20% of their parking spots equipped with L2 chargers by 2025, and 40% by 2030. In addition, the DOT will install As the plan stands now, New York City will limit charges to 60 minutes per vehicle at “The Electrifying New York plan, including its ambitious vision for a new network of Co-op & Condo Garages At the end of 2019, New York State enacted an amendment to its Real Property Law, which governs condominiums in the state. The amendment prohibits boards from out- charging stations on a unit owner’s own property or deeded parking space, or in a space It remains to be seen how these new laws and the ascendant push toward an electric future will affect or be applied to garages or parking lots in co-ops and other accessory n Luxury Building Workers Celebrate Wage Victory New Law Raises Pay to Industry Standard for 2,000+ Frontline Workers BY COOPERATORNEWS STAFF On Friday, September 17, Governor Kathy Hochul joined porters, doormen, and other prevailing wage.” building service workers at Columbus Circle in Manhattan to celebrate a new law that will raise wages to the industry standard for over 2,000 frontline workers. Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Assemblymember ples of service employees include, but are not limited to, watchmen, guards, doormen, building Carmen de la Rosa (AD-72, Inwood), and Building Service Workers Union SEIU 32BJ President cleaners, porters, handymen, janitors, gardeners, groundskeepers, and elevator operators.” Kyle Bragg were on hand as well, along with a number of 32BJ members. 32BJ SEIU is the largest property service workers union in the country, with 175,000 members in 11 states and Washing- ton, DC, including 85,000 in New York. The new law requires that large luxury co-op and condo buildings receiving the Cooperative qualified property if it: & Condominium Tax Abatement pay their building service workers the prevailing wage. Under the new law, affected workers—many of whom currently make around minimum wage—will receive robust healthcare benefits and see their wage rate rise to $26.45 per hour or more, the and less than 30 dwelling units, or rates received by the more than 35,000 porters, supers, and doormen who are 32BJ members. Penalties for Noncompliance According to Leni Morrison Cummins and Jennifer Miller, attorneys with the Manhattan- based law firm of Cozen O’Connor, specializing in multifamily condo, co-op, and HOA com- munities, if a co-op or condo board does not comply with the new law, “Senate bill S6350A same trade or occupation, as determined annually by the Office of the Comptroller of the City of prohibits most individual unit owners or shareholders...from obtaining or maintaining tax New York. Boards of condos and co-ops should contact their legal counsel to prepare a custom- abatements under section 467-a of the real property tax law. The New York City Commissioner ized prevailing wage analysis tailored to the service employees employed at the building.” of Finance may deny or terminate an abatement if the building service workers are not paid the Cummins and Miller go on to explain that “service employees are those who are regularly employed at a building for at least eight hours per week for its care and maintenance. Exam- According to the attorneys, “Commencing on April 1, 2022, the start of New York’s next fiscal year, condos or co-ops must be deemed a ‘qualified property’ in order for the building or any of its unit owners or shareholders to receive a tax abatement. A condo or co-op will be deemed a • Has an average unit assessed value of less than or equal to $60,000 • Has an average unit assessed value of more than $60,000 and less than or equal to $100,000, • Is a property with respect to which an applicant has submitted an affidavit certifying that all building service employees shall receive the applicable prevailing wage for the duration of such property’s tax abatement “‘Prevailing wage’ means the wages and supplemental benefits paid to other workers in the continued on page 29