The Council will also vote to require added sugar notifications in chain restaurants and improve data reporting on New Yorkers’ mental health
City Hall, NY – In its last Stated Meeting of the year and the term, the Council today will cap off its legacy of working towards bold climate and environmental justice by voting on three relevant bills and a resolution. First, to help New York City reach carbon neutrality by 2050 or sooner, the Council will vote on groundbreaking legislation to significantly reduce building emissions and instead promote energy efficiency and electrification. The bill would prohibit the combustion of substances with certain emissions profiles in new buildings within New York City and direct the Commissioner of Buildings to deny construction documents and permits for new buildings that would require these fuels, with some exceptions where electrification might not yet be a feasible substitute.
To avoid unnecessary energy usage from leaving lights on in offices or other spaces at night, the Council will vote on a bill that would require the installation of occupancy sensors to limit illumination in buildings owned by New York City. This requirement would apply to spaces in at least 25% of City-owned buildings by 2023, at least 40% of such buildings by 2025, at least 75% of such buildings by 2027, and all such buildings by 2030.
Similar legislation pertaining to lighting would also help prevent the unnecessary death of migratory birds in New York City. The Council will vote on a bill that would require all non-essential outdoor lighting in buildings owned by the City, or in leased buildings where the City is the only tenant, to be turned off between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. during peak migration periods for birds. The legislation would also require the City to use its best efforts to include provisions in lease negotiations to require these same requirements for buildings where the City shares the building with other tenants.
The Council will also vote on a resolution calling on the U.S. Congress to pass and the President to sign the Green New Deal for Public Housing Act, which would commit up to $180 billion over a decade to rehabilitate, upgrade, and transition 1.2 million public housing units across the nation in a way that addresses energy efficiency and workforce development.
Pertaining to New Yorkers’ health, the Council will vote on legislation in relation to requiring added sugar notifications in chain restaurants. Specifically, the bill would require the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to issue a rule designating an icon to be clearly displayed next to listed prepackaged food items on menus or menu boards, and on prepackaged food items on display that exceed a specified level of added sugars, including, but not limited to, 100 percent or more of the daily value for added sugars. It would also provide a factual warning statement about high added sugars intake. A year after the issuance of the rule, chain restaurants in New York City will be required to follow such rule or face financial penalties of $200-$500. This bill would also require DOHMH to conduct public outreach to educate restaurants about these requirements.
Additionally, the Council will vote on a bill that would require DOHMH to track and issue a report on New Yorkers’ mental health during the COVID-19 public health emergency. With about one third of all adult New Yorkers reporting symptoms of anxiety and/or depression at a rate more than triple self-reported pre-pandemic rates, the City needs more comprehensive data to better provide mental health services in response. The report would be published every six months and would include: the number of 311 and 911 calls relating to mental health, related emergencies, and substance misuse or overdoses; the number of calls received by any mental health hotline maintained by the department or by another agency; the number of hospital admissions for overdoses or that were substance use-related; and any other relevant information the Commissioner of Health deems appropriate. The data required would be disaggregated by age, race, gender, zip code, and any other demographic category that the department deems relevant, to the extent such demographic information is available. Additionally, on an annual basis, the report would include a description of any trends in adverse mental health of New Yorkers during the COVID-19 public health emergency and any steps taken by DOHMH to address them.
The Council will also vote on a health-related resolution, calling on the New York State Department of Health to create stand-alone, self-contained isolation centers or units for the treatment of patients with infectious disease due to epidemic, including highly contagious and airborne diseases.
To improve workforce equity and hiring transparency, the Council will vote on legislation that would make it an unlawful discriminatory practice to not include in job listings the minimum and maximum salary offered for any position located within New York City.
Two bills will also address specific gender-based harassment and violence experiences. First, one piece of legislation would require the establishment of a street harassment prevention advisory board to advise the Mayor and the Council on the prevalence of the issue, and recommend prevention measures. The board would study the occurrence of street harassment, identify those most at risk, and develop and recommend programming and educational materials for city agencies, public awareness and prevention, support and resources for victims, and information on non-criminalization responses.
Another bill would require the Police Department to train officers on responding to incidents involving domestic violence, sexual crimes, and human trafficking. The training would be delivered to all new recruits and every two years thereafter to all members of service who regularly interact with crime victims. The training would be developed from recommendations made by an interdisciplinary, interagency committee consisting of representatives of the NYPD, the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-based Violence, and the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, as well as domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking service providers.
A related resolution before the Council would call on the Department of Education to provide training for school administrators, teachers, and building staff on human trafficking prevention strategies.
The Council will also be voting on legislation to ensure that the annual Voter Guide published by the City’s Campaign Finance Board reaches as many New Yorkers as possible. Specifically, the bill would require the Voter Guide to be published in six additional languages—meaning it would be available each of the top eleven languages spoken throughout the City. In addition, the bill would require the online version of the Voter Guide to include a video statement from each candidate and with each video including captioning in eleven languages and translation in American Sign Language. Finally, the bill would require the Voter Guide to be made available in a format that is accessible to New Yorkers with print and vision disabilities.
The Council will also vote on a bill to expand accessibility for people with hearing disabilities in movie theaters. The bill would require that movie theaters provide open captions for at least one quarter of all showings of each movie they show. At least half of the open captioned showings would be during peak attendance hours.
A September 2019 New York Times article exposed that the Department of Buildings’ enforcement of Construction Codes often resulted in penalties that disproportionately affected owners of one- to four-family homes. These smaller property owners were often unaware that certain conditions violated the Construction Codes, and after being issued an initial notice of violation, they found themselves in a cycle of re-inspection and issuance of new violations for the same condition, even while trying to pull a permit to correct the condition. DOB agrees that the sites that pose true safety concerns are, with some exceptions, construction sites, therefore it is not beneficial to continue this complicated enforcement cycle with small property owners. With that in mind, the Council will vote on a bill that would limit DOB penalties for failure to certify correction and re-inspection requirements to construction sites only, and specifically create an exception for one- to four-family homes from these two requirements. This bill would also allow that, for one- to two-family homes, DOB can issue a request to correct in lieu of a notice of violation, as long as that property had not received a DOB violation in the previous five years and the violating condition is not an illegal conversion or an immediately hazardous violation that led to death or serious injury. This bill would allow DOB to refocus its enforcement efforts from small properties to the construction sites that pose true safety risks.
The Council will also vote on legislation that would complete the most recent revision cycle to the New York City Fire Code, with amendments based on the 2015 edition of the International Fire Code, and additional provisions that reflect New York City’s unique environment. The Fire Code amendments include a comprehensive revision to energy storage system requirements, with the goal of establishing a regulatory framework that opens the door to lithium-ion and other new battery technologies to power buildings and building systems—all while assuring appropriate building fire safety. The bill would also establish a regulatory framework for New York City’s emerging distilled spirits industry, authorize the use of hydrogen fuel cells to further the City’s clean energy efforts, and include hundreds of other substantive and technical amendments to improve fire safety in the city.
To improve stove safety, the Council will vote on a bill that would amend the Housing Maintenance Code by requiring owners of units in multiple dwellings to provide to tenants with either permanent stove safety knobs with integrated locking mechanisms or stove knob covers for each knob located on the front of each gas-powered stove at the tenant’s option. This bill would also require unit owners to keep a record of tenant outreach regarding the installation of these permanent stove safety knobs or stove knob covers.
Additionally, the Council will vote on legislation to better enforce Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Program requirements citywide. MIH, a zoning tool developed by the Department of City Planning and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, was implemented through a 2016 New York City Zoning Resolution amendment. It requires that when an area is rezoned to allow for more housing development, a certain proportion of affordable housing must also be included to create more economically diverse communities across New York City and ensure that a share of new housing in growing communities is affordable. Because enforcement mechanisms are necessary to ensure housing development compliance with MIH’s eligibility requirements, this bill would authorize HPD to enforce the affordable housing provisions placed within the department’s responsibility in accordance with the Zoning Resolution. The bill would establish the ways HPD is empowered to enforce the provisions and allows HPD to act through proceedings in the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings, civil judicial proceedings, HPD investigations, appointing an authorized monitor, or other special remedies. This bill would also require HPD to create rules that specifically prohibit: occupancy of an affordable housing unit by anyone other than a qualifying household; unlawful configuration, distribution, sizing, or use of an affordable housing unit; charging unlawful monthly rent or fees for an affordable housing unit; filing a certification of correction of a violation or a statement that an unlawful use or condition has been corrected or did not exist that contains material misstatements of fact; failing to comply with an order issued by HPD under its Inclusionary Housing Program enforcement authority; charging of any unlawful sale prices or fees for an affordable housing unit; failing to comply with primary residence requirements; and unlawful restriction of access to the premises.
Anticipating the needs of a changing economic landscape and a soon expiring eviction moratorium in New York City, the Council will vote on a bill to make the Human Resources Administration’s emergency assistance grant program more accessible and transparent. These grants can be used to pay for rental arrears and utilities, assisting New Yorkers who are unable to meet an expense due to unforeseen situations or events such as homelessness, eviction or dispossession, utility disconnection or a pending shut off, disasters, domestic violence, or circumstances that affect people’s health and safety. This bill would require the Commissioner of the Department of Social Services to enhance the program process by posting information about the grants on the HRA website and enhancing applications by creating an informational sheet for prospective applicants in plain language. The informational sheet would include which forms and materials an applicant would need to submit and whether an applicant may be required to pay back any benefits, if received. It would also require the Commissioner to improve the administration of the grants in response to the increased need due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to conduct increased outreach on the program.
Related to evictions, the Council will also vote on a resolution calling on the New York State legislature to enact and the Governor to sign A.5573/S.3082, which would limit circumstances in which a landlord could recover possession of a rental unit, or fail to renew a lease to specific “good cause” grounds for removal including failure to pay a rent that has not been unreasonably increased, violation of a substantial obligation under the lease, use of the property for illegal activity, or unreasonably refusing access to make necessary repairs.
To continue looking out for the City’s homeowners, the Council will also vote on legislation that would extend the J-51 tax exemption and abatement program through June 30, 2022. The J-51 Tax Incentive program is an as-of-right property tax exemption and abatement program that provides benefits to owners of multi-family residential buildings who undertake certain conversions, alterations, or capital improvements on their properties. The tax exemption provides temporary relief from an increase in real estate taxes that would otherwise result from the increase in assessed value of the property due to such eligible work, while the tax abatement reduces or eliminates existing real estate taxes based on a percentage of the cost of the work that was performed. For this State authorization to continue, the City Council must extend the program via local law, for which the State has since enacted legislation authorizing the Council to do so.
Given the affordability crisis our City continues to face, the Council will vote on a bill to create a Task Force studying the feasibility of converting both vacant and commercially unviable office space to different uses, including but not limited to affordable housing development. Under this legislation, the Task Force would be required to consider factors like potential effects on health and welfare, and economic implications of such conversions.
The Council will also vote on two technology related bills. With automated decision systems and artificial intelligence being used more frequently to assist with evaluating financial, physical, and mental well-being, the Council will vote on legislation to keep tabs on algorithm usage in City agencies. The bill would require an annual report by agencies to the Mayor’s Office of Operations on automated decision systems they used at least once in the prior year, except when such a disclosure would endanger public safety. Such disclosure would include the commercial name and a brief description of the algorithmic tool, its purpose, and the type of data it collected and analyzed. The Mayor’s Office of Operations would be required to compile the information disclosed by agencies and submit a report to the Mayor and the Speaker of the Council every year.
To confront the ongoing crisis of gun violence in New York City, the Council will be voting on Legislation to establish a new Office for Neighborhood Safety and the Prevention of Gun Violence. Building on the work of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and the Mayor’s Office to Prevent Gun Violence, this new Office would address gun violence and public safety holistically, using an approach that considers socioeconomic and public health factors. Among other things, the Office would administer the City’s Crisis Management System, which uses a “cure violence” approach to stop neighborhood violence at its source. Launched in 2014, the CMS grew out of a proposal from the Council’s Task Force to Combat Gun Violence. By enshrining this and other related programs in the City’s Charter, this bill would ensure that such programs become a permanent fixture of the City’s government.
Relatedly, because of the benefits of peaceful conflict resolution, the Council will vote on a resolution that calls on the DOE as well as the New York State and federal governments to include instruction in peaceful conflict resolution as part of the required curriculum in all schools, starting in elementary schools.
Nationwide, approximately one in four of children in foster care between the ages of six and 17 are administered at least one psychiatric drug, with many given a combination of multiple drugs at the same time. To better understand the use and impact of psychiatric medications on foster youth, the Council will vote on a bill that would require the Administration for Children’s Services to report data on a quarterly and annual basis from its contracted foster care provider agencies about the use of psychiatric medication by children in its legal custody, and prescribing trends. The report would include information on how many youths are prescribed psychiatric medication, disaggregated by categories of medication, and ACS would be required to review the reports and submit a description of actions it took to promote best practices for use of psychiatric medication for youth in foster care.
The Council will also vote on a bill that would shorten the deadline for posting executive orders from five days to one day. Specifically, the bill would require any Mayoral executive order issued on or after July 1, 2022 to be posted online within one business day of execution.
The Council will also vote on two pieces of legislation regarding sidewalk cafes. The first bill would authorize the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to issue temporary operating licenses to sidewalk cafe applicants if the plans for the new sidewalk cafe are identical to the plans for one previously operating at the same location. The goal would be to streamline the current process, which involves reviews by DCWP and the Department of City Planning, the local Community Board, the City Council, the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services, and finally registration of the revocable consent agreements with the Comptroller—all to place tables and chairs outside your restaurant. It is a process that can take as long as four or five months, but with the continued impacts of the pandemic, restaurants are still struggling. This bill would help ease the burdens of this challenging process on restauranteurs. Additionally, the bill would allow DCWP to issue a temporary operating license to new sidewalk cafe applicants whose petitions have been approved but are pending registration by the Comptroller.
The second piece of sidewalk cafe legislation would allow sidewalk cafe applicants to self-prepare the plans required for approval. Part of the lengthy process as it stands involves a pricey and unnecessary requirement that applicants include a plan of their proposed layout prepared by a licensed architect or engineer. DCWP agrees that this requirement is burdensome and expensive for applicants and has also testified that it is challenging for agency staff. This bill would remove that burden from the application process altogether.
The Council will also vote on a bill that would co-name 194 thoroughfares and public places, based on requests of Council Members whose district includes the location. Of these 194 co-names, 16 are either a relocation of a previously enacted co-naming or a revision to the street sign installed with respect to a previously enacted co-naming.
A final bill before the Council would officially rename “St. Albans Park” in Queens to “Archie Spigner Park,” honoring the recently deceased former Council Member Archie Spigner who served the area where the park is located for many years in numerous capacities.
In addition to previously mentioned resolutions, the Council will vote on a second resolution related to public housing calling on Congress to pass and the President to sign H.R.4546, the Public Housing Emergency Response Act. The legislation would invest $70 billion into the Public Housing Capital Fund at the Department of Housing and Urban Development to help support NYCHA’s funding needs and the funding needs of the other public housing agencies.
The Council will also vote on four resolutions related to education. The first would declare May 4th New York City Teachers, Educational Administrators and Education Support Staff Recognition Day. With the largest public school system in the world, serving more than 1 million students in over 1,800 schools, this day would recognize and highlight the important work teachers and non-pedagogical staff workers do to keep our city’s schools running and to educate our children.
Another resolution would call upon the State of New York to include swimming lessons and water safety education in its curriculum requirements for all public school students from kindergarten through 12th grade where appropriate, particularly because water safety education can prevent drownings and water-related injuries, and because swimming is a healthy activity.
The third and fourth resolutions include Haitian education in Black History Month curriculum. The third resolution would call upon DOE to add the history of Haiti, including the Haitian Revolution and the abolition of slavery, to the public schools’ Black History Month curriculum. The fourth would call upon DOE to acknowledge the participation of Haitian soldiers in the Siege of Savannah and the impact of the Haitian Revolution on the Louisiana Purchase, by adding these events to the public schools’ social studies curriculum.
The Council will additionally vote on a resolution that would call on the State Legislature to pass and the Governor to sign A7284/S6489, known as the Wandering Officers Act, to prohibit the appointment of anyone who has previously been dismissed from any police department due to misconduct or resigned while under investigation for misconduct.
Last of the resolutions, the Council will vote to declare December 8th as Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Jee Day in New York City. The ninth Guru of the Sikh religion, this day would honor his dedication to democratic ideals in his religious practice, resistance to tyranny, and respect and tolerance for all lifestyles.
Finally, the Council will also vote on several land use and finance items.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Bans gas hookups in new buildings
Int. 2317-A, sponsored by Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel, prohibits the combustion of substances with certain emissions profiles in new buildings within the City. Proposed Int. No. 2317-A would also direct the Commissioner of Buildings to deny construction documents and permits in connection with a new building that would require the combustion of these substances, with some exceptions. This bill’s requirements will phase in until it reaches full implementation after December 31, 2027. Among the exemptions are buildings with 50 percent or more of the dwelling units being affordable housing, and uses such as for emergency power, commercial kitchens, laundromats, and other uses for which electrification might not currently be a substitute. Proposed Int. No. 2317-A would further require the Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability to conduct two studies: (1) a study regarding the use of heat pump technology; and (2) a study of the impact of this bill on the City’s electrical grid.
This local law would take effect immediately.
Reduces nighttime illumination to prevent unnecessary bird deaths
Int. 274-A, sponsored by Council Member Helen Rosenthal, will require that all non-essential outdoor lighting in buildings owned by the City, or in leased buildings where the City is the only tenant, be turned off between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. during peak avian migration periods. Proposed Int. No. 274-A would also require the City to use its best efforts to include provisions in lease negotiations to require this non-essential outdoor lighting be turned off between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. during peak aviation migration periods for buildings where the City is not the only tenant.
“The volume of birds traveling across North America is truly extraordinary and bird species are a critical part of our ecology. The bills we are passing today are important steps toward ensuring that New York City is supporting (and not contributing to the demise of) the incredible diversity of wildlife found in our skies. Tens of thousands of New Yorkers have signed a petition calling for non-essential building “lights out.” I strongly urge the private sector to join us in taking these simple but urgently needed measures,” said Council Member Helen Rosenthal.
Many migrating birds use the magnetic field of the earth and other methods to help assist them during migration. Excessive outdoor lighting can cause these birds to become disoriented and may lead to their death. In order to prevent these unnecessary bird deaths, New York City Audubon started the “Lights Out” initiative, which encourages that non-essential outdoor lightening be turned off during fall and spring migration periods.
This local law would take effect immediately but would only apply to leases entered into on or after the effective date.
Reduces illumination in city-owned buildings
Int. 271-A, sponsored by Council Member Justin Brannan, will require the installation of occupancy sensors to limit illumination in buildings owned by New York City (City-owned buildings). This requirement would apply to spaces in at least 25% of City-owned buildings by 2023; at least 40% of such buildings by 2025; at least 75% of such buildings by 2027; and all such buildings by 2030. Proposed Int. No. 271-A would also require periodic reporting regarding compliance with the requirements of this local law.
This local law would take effect immediately.
CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Prohibits employers from posting job listings without salary information
Int. 1208-B, sponsored by Council Member Helen Rosenthal, makes it an unlawful discriminatory practice to not include in job listings the minimum and maximum salary offered for any position located within New York City. The range for the listed maximum and minimum salary would extend from the lowest salary to the highest salary that the employer in good faith believes it would pay for the advertised job, promotion, or transfer. This bill would exempt temporary staffing firms as they already provide wage information in compliance with the NY State Wage Theft Prevention Act.
“Lack of salary transparency is discriminatory and anti-worker. Every New Yorker should have the right to determine whether they will be able to support themselves and their family when they apply for a job. It is time to level the playing field, and restore some dignity to New Yorkers seeking employment,” said Council Member Helen Rosenthal
Increasing pay transparency, as this bill does, allows job applicants to better calculate salary expectations. Studies show that women often ask for a lower salary when they negotiate than men, regardless of qualifications or the nature of the role. Pay transparency also works to shrink the racial pay gap. It improves precision with which observable performance metrics and pay are linked. The New York City Commission on Gender Equity recommends that employers that adopt pay transparency policies with standardized and objectively measured performance outcomes to limit bias in advancement decisions. This law will take a positive step towards closing the racial and gender pay gap by disclosing salary ranges and leveling the playing field by facilitating fairer negotiations.
This bill would go into effect 120 days after it becomes law.
Captioning at motion picture theaters
Int. 2020-A, sponsored by Council Member Rosenthal, would require that movie theaters showing more than 10 movies a week provide open captions for at least one quarter of all showings for any movie that is shown four or more times. Theaters would not be required to show more than four open caption showings of a single movie in one week. At least half of the open captioned showings would be during peak attendance hours. Peak attendance hours would be showings that start after 5:59 pm and end before 11:01 pm on Friday and begin after 11:29 am and end before 11:01 pm on Saturday and Sunday. If fewer than one in eight showings are scheduled for peak attendance hours or similar times on other weekdays, the screening during those hours must be open captioned.
“Roughly one in five New Yorkers suffers from deafness, ranging from moderate to total. Such a significant segment of our population deserves to fully enjoy movies with ease. Providing open captioning is a simple, inexpensive, and more sanitary alternative for cinema operators, and does not diminish overall movie attendance when scheduled along with uncaptioned screenings. This groundbreaking bill is the result of years of effort by the deaf and hard of hearing community. It is also a win for the many New Yorkers who have limited English language proficiency,” said Council Member Helen Rosenthal
Open caption showings that play at the same time do not count towards this minimum and nothing prevents a movie theater from showing more open captioned movies than required. A theater must advertise open caption showings the same way they do other movie showings and must maintain documents to show compliance with these requirements for at least three years. A movie theater that violates this law is subject to a penalty ranging from $100 to $500 per violation. Films that are produced and distributed without open captioning are exempt from this law.
There are over 168,000 deaf or hard of hearing people living in New York City and although they have legal protections, access to leisure activities, such as attending the movies, may be challenging. While federal rules do require closed captioning and audio description technology be available, they are only provided on request and may malfunction. Advocates state that open captioning is preferable. They also note that open captioning can be helpful for English language learners. Taking into consideration that the movie theater industry has been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and a full recovery is uncertain as viewing habits may have permanently changed, this bill only requires a limited number of each film shown in a week include open captions. This would improve the movie-going experience for viewers who may be deaf, hard of hearing, or an English language learner thereby making the movies more accessible to more New Yorkers.
This bill would go into effect 120 days after it becomes law.
CONSUMER AFFAIRS
Temporary sidewalk café licenses
Int. 2096-A, sponsored by Council Member Ben Kallos, would make the sidewalk café approval process less arduous for many City restaurants. The bill would allow the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to issue temporary operating licenses to applicants for a sidewalk café license if the plans for the new sidewalk café are identical to the plans for a previously operating sidewalk café at the same location. This bill would also allow the Department to issue a temporary operating license to new sidewalk cafe applicants whose petitions have been approved but are pending registration with the Comptroller.
“Outdoor dining is a welcome change in our urban environment that is beautifying and activating streets that had gone empty for far too long. We are cutting the red tape to make it easier for restaurants to renew and new owners to take over sidewalk cafes,” said Council Member Ben Kallos. “I wish I could take credit for this idea, but it came right from a small business owner, as an example of a bureaucratic problem, that seemed stupid not to fix. Thank you to the New York Hospitality Alliance for hosting opportunities for small businesses to meet with elected officials so that we can work together to foster a better environment for small businesses to thrive.”
This bill would take effect immediately.
Sidewalk café plans
Int. 2134, sponsored by Council Member Rafael Salamanca, would help reduce expenses for restaurants applying to open a sidewalk café. Part of the current lengthy approval process involves a pricey and unnecessary requirement that applicants include a plan of their proposed layout that is prepared by a licensed architect or engineer. Under this bill, applicants would be able to prepare their own plans.
‘As the restaurant industry continues to recover from the global pandemic, it is important that the city enact legislation that reduces the financial burden placed on our neighborhood dining spots,’ stated Council Member Rafael Salamanca. “Removing the costly regulation that design plans for sidewalk café applications be prepared and submitted by a licensed architect or engineer is a common sense measure that allows restauranteurs to pay their employees rather than third parties. I thank our locally-owned restaurants for their advocacy surrounding this issue, and look forward to working with my colleagues to pass measures that aid our small business owners who continue to be impacted by COVID-19.’
This bill would take effect immediately.
HEALTH
Requires sugar notifications in chain restaurants
Int. 1326-B, sponsored by Council Member Mark Levine, will require the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to issue a rule designating an icon to be displayed in a clear and conspicuous manner on (i) menus or menu boards adjacent to the listed prepackaged food items and (ii) prepackaged food items on display, that exceed a specified level of added sugars, including, but not limited to, 100 percent or more of the daily value for added sugars. Such rule would also provide a factual warning statement about high added sugars intake.
No later than 1 year after the issuance of such rule, chain restaurants (those with 15 or more restaurants) in New York City must post such icon on or next to a prepackaged food item on display, or next to a prepackaged food item listed on the menu or menu board, and post such warning statement at the point of purchase. Failure to do so would result in financial penalties of $200-500.
Finally, this bill would require DOHMH to conduct public outreach to educate restaurants about the requirements of this local law.
This bill would take effect no later than one year after the expiration of the declaration of the local state of emergency for COVID-19 declared in emergency executive order number 98 of Mayor Bill de Blasio, dated March 12, 2020, including any subsequent extensions.
Calls on the New York State Department of Health to create stand-alone, self-contained isolation centers or units for the treatment of patients with infectious disease due to epidemic
Res. 638, sponsored by Council Member Mathieu Eugene, calls on the New York State Department of Health to create stand-alone, self-contained isolation centers or units for the treatment of patients with infectious disease due to epidemic, including highly contagious and airborne diseases.
“I am honored to sponsor several key pieces of legislation that will address issues critical to the future of our city,” said Council Member Eugene. “Resolution 638 calls upon The New York Department of Health to create standalone medical centers or units for the treatment of patients with infectious disease outbreak, including contagious and airborne diseases.
This piece of legislation is one that I feel is essential to preparing our city for a better and more focused response to the next public health emergency such as COVID-19. As public servants, we have a responsibility to save lives, and the creation of standalone medical centers will be instrumental in creating a safer and more efficient response to the next pandemic. I want to thank my colleagues in the City Council for supporting this crucial legislation, an initiative that I believe will put our city at the forefront of public health crisis management.”
As we’ve seen with COVID-19, the State may not have time to prepare for the next outbreak of an infectious disease; therefore, we should ensure that facilities are in place so we can contain future outbreaks before there is community spread.
MENTAL HEALTH
Reports on the mental health of New Yorkers during COVID-19
Int. 2005-A, sponsored by Council Member Farah Louis, will require the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to track and issue a report on the mental health of New Yorkers during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The report would be published every six months and would include: the number of 311 calls relating to mental health; the number of 911 calls relating to mental health emergencies and substance misuse or overdoses; the number of calls received by any mental health hotline maintained by the department or by another agency; the number of hospital admissions for overdoses or that were substance use-related; and any other information regarding the mental health of New Yorkers during the COVID-19 public health emergency that the Commissioner of Health deems appropriate.
The COVID-19 pandemic has further worsened the mental health and well-being of New Yorkers. About one third of all adult New Yorkers reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depression at a rate more than triple self-reported pre-pandemic rates. One challenge of providing comprehensive mental health services and referrals to New Yorkers is the lack of comprehensive data, particularly that which is inclusive of age, gender, race, zip code, or other useful demographic data.
The information required in this report would be disaggregated by age, race, gender, zip code and any other demographic category that the department deems relevant, to the extent such demographic information is available. Additionally, on an annual basis, the report would include a description of any trends in adverse mental health of New Yorkers during the COVID-19 public health emergency and any steps taken by DOHMH to address such trends.
This bill would go into effect immediately.
GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS
Expands access to the voter guide
For every election held in New York City, the Campaign Finance Board publishes a Voter Guide to inform New Yorkers about the candidates and proposals on the ballot.
Int. 2438-A, sponsored by Council Member Helen Rosenthal, would implement several changes to ensure that the Voter Guide reaches as many New Yorkers as possible. Specifically, the bill would require the Voter Guide to be published in English and in each of the top ten non-English languages spoken throughout the City. It would also require the Voter Guide to be made available in a format that is accessible to New Yorkers with print and vision disabilities.
“New York City has taken important steps to ensure that city services and civic life are more accessible yet we still have a long way to go. Today we are expanding the number of languages and ways (like video voter guides) in which voters can receive vital information about candidates, especially voters with disabilities or with limited literacy or English ability. My legislation also makes accessible voting information an ongoing priority. In a time when voting rights are contested and barriers to voting are shamefully increasing, I am proud that with this bill, New York City will be going in the opposite direction and opening the door for many more New Yorkers to be educated voters,” said Council Member Helen Rosenthal.
In addition, the bill would require each online version of the Voter Guide to include a video statement from each candidate for Mayor, Comptroller, Public Advocate, Borough President, or City Council Member. Each such video would need to include captioning in the top eleven languages spoken in the City, and translation in American Sign Language. Any candidate who participates in the City’s public matching funds program and does not create a candidate video for inclusion in the online voter guide would be subject to non-payment of 5% of their public matching funds.
This bill would take effect on January 1, 2023.
Establishes an office for neighborhood safety
Int. 66-A, sponsored by Council Member Laurie Cumbo, would require the Mayor to establish an Office for Neighborhood Safety and the Prevention of Gun Violence. Building on the work of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and the Mayor’s Office to Prevent Gun Violence, this new office would work to address gun violence and public safety holistically, using an approach that considers socioeconomic and public health factors. The Director of the Office would be appointed by the Mayor and would be responsible for advising the Mayor in planning and coordinating efforts among Mayoral agencies to prevent gun violence and enhance neighborhood safety. The Director would also be required to administer a crisis management system for the City’s responses to incidents of gun violence, work with elected officials, community members, and other stakeholders to develop initiatives to enhance neighborhood safety, and review budget request for programs related to neighborhood safety.
“The office for the prevention of gun violence, now the office for neighborhood safety and the prevention of gun violence shall address gun violence and public safety holistically,” said Council Member Cumbo. “My intent for this office is to approach socioeconomic, psychological, familial, and public health factors that address the root causes of violence by shooting death and maiming. The success of a family to deal with gun violence in a way that is sensitive, supportive, seamless is intertwined with what agencies they engage with and why. It is my purpose to infuse trauma-informed responses to incidents of gun violence in the City because in my term as a councilperson to District 35 in Brooklyn I know firsthand how much needs to happen when a family is impacted by gun violence. I have witnessed, repeatedly the feelings of helplessness when facing the parent of a child or spouse of someone who was killed or seriously injured due to gun violence. When I first took office, in my capacity as a council member I visited every family I knew of, I attended funeral after funeral, memorial after memorial, I spoke, I cried and I kept in touch with the families and provided as much support as I could. As a Black woman, a mom, a Brooklynite, and a New Yorker, I soon found out that the system’s response was inadequate and our city needs and deserves a coordinated system-wide response. If we focus on prevention from a coordinated system-wide approach we must involve coordination of city agencies and community engagement. This is what I want for those impacted by gun violence and this office is the one to do that very important life renewing work.”
Each year on April 1, the Office would be required to submit a report to the Mayor and the Speaker discussing gun violence prevention and neighborhood safety goals and concerns throughout the City. In addition, the Director would be required to conduct a public outreach and information campaign designed to address the prevention of gun violence and the importance of conflict resolution.
This bill would take effect 30 days after it becomes law, except that the public outreach campaign would be required to begin one year after this bill becomes law.
Requires mayoral executive orders to be posted online within one business day of execution
Int. 2117-A, sponsored by Council Member Keith Powers, would shorten the deadline for posting executive orders. Specifically, the bill would require any Mayoral executive order issued on or after July 1, 2022 to be posted online within one business day of execution. In addition, once Local Law 78 of 2020 goes into effect, the bill would require executive orders to be included on the searchable web page established by that law within one business day of execution.
“The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the clear need for information issued by the government to be easily accessible to the public. My bill, Int. 2117, bolsters transparency by requiring mayoral executive orders to be posted online within one day of implementation,” said Council Member Powers. “Thank you to Council Member Kallos and others for their support on this important issue.”
PUBLIC SAFETY
Requires the NYPD train officers responding to for domestic violence, sexual crimes, human trafficking
Int. 2439-A, sponsored by Council Member Helen Rosenthal, will require the Police Department to train officers on responding to incidents involving domestic violence, sexual crimes, or human trafficking. The training will be delivered to all new recruits and biennially thereafter to all members of service who regularly interact with crime victims.
“The NYPD responds to approximately 230,000 domestic incidents annually, six-hundred calls a day. Responding officers, however, too often fail to recognize the seriousness of these incidents or understand the complex provisions of the penal code they need to enforce. This lack of specialized training has been seen time and time again during the pandemic. The legislation we are passing today is an important step toward improving the NYPD’s response to a wide range of complex situations involving gender-based and domestic violence. We are also acting to make the City’s review of fatalities due to domestic and gender-based violence more rigorous and comprehensive,” said Council Member Helen Rosenthal.
And will be developed from recommendations made by an interdisciplinary, interagency committee consisting of representatives of the NYPD, the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-based Violence, the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, domestic violence service providers, sexual assault service providers, and human trafficking service providers. In addition, the bill would add such service providers to the City’s domestic fatality review committee and create a fatality advisory committee to review individual case level data on gender based and domestic violence fatalities.
WOMEN AND GENDER EQUITY
Creates a street harassment prevention advisory board
Int. 2424-B, sponsored by Council Member Helen Rosenthal, will require the creation of an advisory board to advise the Mayor and the Council on the issue of street harassment prevention. The advisory board would have the duty to: study the occurrence of street harassment; identify persons and communities most at risk of street harassment; and to develop and recommend: programming and training materials for city agencies to prevent and respond to street harassment; programming, training and educational materials to promote public awareness and prevention of street harassment; forms of support and resources for victims of street harassment; and programming regarding non-criminalization responses to street harassment. By December 31, 2022, the advisory board would be required to make information and resources available to city agencies for posting on their websites.
“Street harassment is a widespread and highly destructive aspect of life in New York City. Mandating the creation of an Advisory Board will help to support survivors, provide public education, and identify more effective, community-based responses. The traditional tools of policing, civil penalties, and interactions with the criminal legal system have not fundamentally addressed what so many New Yorkers are experiencing on the street,” said Council Member Helen Rosenthal
Eighteen months after the local law takes effect, the advisory board would be required to develop a survey with questions that would assess the prevalence of street harassment in the city. By December 31, 2022, the advisory board would be required to produce a report summarizing its activities, and annually thereafter the report would be required to include the findings of the survey the advisory board developed.
Members of the advisory board would include the directors of the Commission on Gender Equity and the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, the Chair of the City’s Human Rights Commission, and the Executive Director of the Office of Nightlife, among others, and would include appointments by the Mayor, Speaker of the Council, and the Public Advocate. Such members would be required to meet no less than once each quarter, and hold at least one meeting open to the public.
This bill would take effect immediately.
GENERAL WELFARE
Informs regarding use of psychiatric medication for youth in foster care
Int. 1358-A, sponsored by Council Member Stephen Levin, will require the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) to report data on a quarterly and annual basis from its contracted foster care provider agencies about the use of psychiatric medication by children in its legal custody, and possible prescribing trends. The report would include information on how many youths are prescribed a psychiatric medication or medications, disaggregated by various categories of medication such as anti-depressant, anti-psychotic, anxiolytic or hypnotic medication, long-acting anti-psychotic medication, medication to treat opioid use disorder and mood stabilizers. ACS would be required to review the reports and submit a description of actions it took to promote best practices for use of psychiatric medication for youth in foster care.
“I am proud to pass Intro 1358, which requires reporting on psychotropic drug usage for young people in ACS custody. This will provide a window of transparency here in NYC, home to one of the nation’s largest child welfare systems, to address a disturbing national trend of over-prescribing medications to youth in foster care. We have a responsibility to hold ourselves accountable when we take the extreme measure of taking a child out of their family’s care. This bill will help us do just that,” said Council Member Stephen Levin.
The bill would take effect immediately.
Enhances transparency of the emergency assistance grant program
Int. 2081-A, sponsored by Council Member Francisco Moya, will help make the grants more accessible and improve transparency around the program. This bill would require the Commissioner of the Department of Social Services (DSS) to enhance the application of emergency assistance grant programs.
“We’ve seen how COVID devastated financially insecure New Yorkers, especially our Latino, Black and immigrant communities. We need to ensure that the resources available for New Yorkers are realistically accessible in urgent times of need. This bill, Intro 2081, will help New Yorkers better access and understand what they’re applying for and what actions will be required throughout the process. This legislation will also help our city better understand who we are and aren’t helping so we can continually improve the process. This is an example of how we can improve city systems and resources to support our most vulnerable communities. I want to thank the staff and partners who worked on this, the Speaker and my council colleagues for supporting this legislation,” said NYC Council Member Francisco Moya
It will require the Commissioner to post information on emergency assistance grants including rental or utility arrears grants on the HRA website and to enhance applications for such grants, including creating an informational sheet for prospective benefit applicants in plain language. The informational sheet would include which forms and materials an applicant would be required to submit and whether an applicant may be required to pay back any benefits, if received. It would also require the Commissioner to improve the administration of emergency assistance grants in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to conduct increased outreach on the program.
Finally, the bill would require the Commissioner to report quarterly on the administration of emergency assistance grants, including how many applications were newly submitted, how many were accepted and how many were not accepted.
The Human Resources Administration (HRA) administers Emergency Rental Assistance Grants, also known as the “one-shot deal.” These grants assist New Yorkers who are unable to meet a particular expense due to an unforeseen situation or event. The grants can apply, but are not limited to, homelessness, eviction or dispossession, utility disconnection or a pending shut off, fire disasters, domestic violence and circumstances that affect the health and safety of an individual or family. The grants can be used to pay for rental arrears and utilities. As the eviction moratorium nears its expiration, the need for these grants may increase. Additionally, amidst the changing economic landscape in New York City due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program could provide critically needed assistance to those who are at risk of eviction and homelessness.
The bill would take effect immediately.
HOUSING AND BUILDINGS
Extends J-51 exemption
Int. 2476, sponsored by Council Member Kalman Yeger, will extend the J-51 tax exemption and abatement program through June 30, 2022. This bill will take effect immediately, and would apply retroactively to June 30, 2020.
The J-51 Tax Incentive program is an as-of-right property tax exemption and abatement program that provides benefits to owners of multi-family residential buildings who undertake certain conversions, alterations, or capital improvements on their properties. The tax exemption provides temporary relief from an increase in real estate taxes that would otherwise result from the increase in assessed value of the property due to such eligible work.
The tax abatement reduces or eliminates existing real estate taxes based on a percentage of the cost of the work that was performed. The J-51 program is authorized through State enabling legislation, and eligible work must be completed before the date specified in that law. Pursuant to this State authorization, the City Council must extend the program via local law in order for it to continue. The latest extension lapsed on June 30, 2020. The State has since enacted enabling legislation authorizing the Council to extend the program through June 30, 2022. The Council has through January 1, 2022, to enact the extending legislation.
Penalties for failing to certify correction of hazardous conditions
Int. 2449-A, sponsored by Council Member Vanessa Gibson, seeks to address several of the enforcement issues described in an article published by The New York Times detailing issues with the way DOB enforces the laws under its jurisdiction. Among other issues, the requirements to issue a penalty for failure to certify correction and to conduct re-inspections were identified as having a disproportionate effect on owners of one- to four-family homes.
The New York City Administrative Code requires the New York City Department of Buildings (“DOB”) to take certain actions after it has issued a notice of violation for an immediately hazardous condition: DOB must issue a penalty for failure to certify correction of the condition; DOB cannot issue a permit or a certificate of occupancy until this penalty is paid; and DOB must re-inspect the condition within 60 days of issuing the violation.
These requirements, more often than not, resulted in owners of one- to four-family homes being caught in a cycle of re-inspection and issuance of new violations for the same condition, even while trying to pull a permit to correct the condition. DOB agrees that the sites that pose true safety concerns are, with few exceptions, construction sites, and that it would not be beneficial to continue with this complicated enforcement cycle with small property owners.
This bill seeks to address several of the enforcement issues described in that article. This bill would limit DOB penalties for failure to certify correction and re-inspection requirements to construction sites only, and specifically creates an exception for one- to four-family homes from these two requirements.
Additionally, this bill would allow that, for one- to two-family homes, DOB can issue a request to correct in lieu of a notice of violation, provided that property hadn’t received a DOB violation in the previous five years, and that the violating condition is not an illegal conversion or an immediately hazardous violation that led to death or serious injury. This bill would enable DOB to refocus its enforcement efforts from one- to four-family homes to the construction sites that pose true safety risks.
This local law would take effect 120 days after becoming law.
Establishes a task force to study conversion of vacant or commercially unviable office space to other uses
Int. 2246-A, sponsored by Justin Brannan, create a task force to study the feasibility of converting both vacant and commercially unviable office space to different uses. The task force would study the potential for conversion not only to affordable housing, but to other uses as well. The task force would be comprised of the Commissioner of Housing Preservation and Development (“HPD”), the Director of the Department of City Planning (“DCP”), the President of the Economic Development Corporation, and the Commissioner of Buildings, or their respective designees. Additionally, the Task Force would include eight appointed members with knowledge or expertise relevant to office conversions: one by the Speaker of the Council, one by the Public Advocate, and six by the Mayor, at least one of whom must be a union representative.
“Everyone knows the COVID-19 pandemic has presented our city with unprecedented challenges, and we need to know how to boldly meet this moment,” said Council Member Justin Brannan. “Remote work has left office spaces sitting empty, and for at least some companies and industries it’s likely here to stay. At the same time, tenants are facing the eventual expiration of the eviction moratorium, and homelessness is prevalent and carries more health risks than ever before. Why not turn some of our empty office space into affordable housing? Studying this question is a no brainer: at worst, we decide it’s not the best way forward and come up with something else. At best, we tackle multiple problems at once and help preserve health and dignity for all New Yorkers.”
The task force would be required to consider such factors as the potential effects on health and welfare, and economic implications of such conversion. The task force would be required to report its findings and recommendations to the Mayor, Speaker, and Public Advocate no later than two years from the effective date, and would terminate upon submission of its report.
This local law would take effect immediately.
Enforces affordable housing provisions placed within HPD
Int. 2411-A, sponsored by Council Member Robert Cornegy, will authorize the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) to enforce the affordable housing provisions placed within HPD’s responsibility in accordance with the Zoning Resolution, and provide procedures by which enforcement is to take place.
“The Inclusionary Housing Program is designed to preserve and promote affordable housing within neighborhoods where zoning has been modified to encourage new development,” said Council Member Cornegy. “This bill authorizes the Department of Housing Preservation and Development to enforce the affordable housing provisions placed within its responsibility in the Zoning Resolution and provides procedures by which enforcement is to take place. Without this authorization, the city would be limited in its ability to ensure that the Zoning Resolution’s affordable housing programs are serving their purpose and would lack the ability to penalize those who would cheat the system. Inclusionary Zoning is an important tool to promote a diverse and thriving city. But as Chair of the Housing and Building Committee, I have seen that if there is no means to enforce the law, then the law is ineffective. Intro 2411 creates real-world tools to achieve the intended goals of diversity. “
This bill would establish the manner in which HPD is empowered to enforce the provisions of the Zoning Resolution related to affordable housing programs administered by HPD. HPD would be empowered to take action through proceedings in the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (“OATH”), civil judicial proceedings, HPD investigations, appointing an authorized monitor, or certain other special remedies.
This bill will require HPD to promulgate rules that specifically prohibit: (1) occupancy of an affordable housing unit by other than a qualifying household; (2) unlawful configuration, distribution, sizing or use of an affordable housing unit; (3) charging unlawful monthly rent or fees for an affordable housing unit; (4) filing a certification of correction of a violation or a statement that an unlawful use or condition has been corrected or did not exist that contains material misstatements of fact; (5) failing to comply with an order issued by HPD under its Inclusionary Housing Program enforcement authority; (6) charging of an unlawful sales price or fees for an affordable housing unit; (7) failing to comply with primary residence requirements; and (8) unlawful restriction of access to the premises.
This local law would take effect on 180 days after becoming law.
Relates to stove safety knobs
Int. 2265-B, sponsored by Council Member Laurie Cumbo, will give the landlord of a unit covered by Local Law 117 the option of providing a tenant either with stove knob covers or replacement locking stove knobs at the tenant’s option.
Local Law 117 of 2018 (Local Law 117) amended the Housing Maintenance Code to require the provision of stove knob covers to tenants of multiple dwellings in which a child under the age of six resides. This bill gives tenants the choice of getting either stove knob covers or permanent self-locking stove knobs.
This bill will also require landlords to keep records of outreach to tenants regarding the provision of either stove knob covers or replacement locking stove knobs as required by Local Law 117 and this local law.
TECHNOLOGY
Designates geospatial information officer
Int. 2158, sponsored by Council Member Stephen Levin, would require the Commissioner of the Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications (DoITT) to designate an employee to serve as the Chief Geospatial Information Officer.
“The passing of Intro 2158 is a great step forward for emergency response planning for New York City. The urgent need for integrated information systems management was continually reaffirmed during this pandemic. Geospatial data was critical for the Office of Emergency Management to assess where cases were rising, where greater testing was needed and where the city should be investing its resources — all in real time. With greater interoperability, we could better connect data from agencies to ensure that vaccines and resources reach communities most at risk. Intro No. 2158 will designate a Geospatial Information Officer for NYC so that all location-based data can be assessed and integrated at once. And as we plan for a future with increasing climate challenges, the need for comprehensive data, and data sharing, is essential. Geospatial data allows us to map stormwater levels, underground infrastructure capacity, and flood pattern changes. And greater interoperability between agencies allows us to better prepare our city for disaster response through coordination and accuracy. Thank you to Speaker Corey Johnson, my colleagues and the GISMO coalition who made this bill possible,” said Council Member Stephen Levin.
A geospatial information system (GIS) is a system that manages, analyzes, and maps different types of data. In the past years, emergency crises such as floods, storms, and hurricanes have shown the need for geospatial information and a plan to use such information in New York City.
Int. 1806-A, sponsored by Council Member Peter Koo, will require an annual report by agencies to the Mayor’s Office of Operations on automated decision systems used by those agencies at least once in the prior year, except when such a disclosure would endanger public safety. Such disclosure would include, among other things, the commercial name and a brief description of such algorithmic tool, the purpose of the tool, and the type of data collected and analyzed by the tool. The Mayor’s Office of Operations would be required to compile the information disclosed by city agencies and submit a report to the Mayor and the Speaker of the Council every year.
This local law takes effect immediately.
FIRE AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
Updates the Fire Code
Int. 2430-A, sponsored by Council Member Joseph Borelli, completes the most recent code revision cycle with amendments to the New York City Fire Code, based on the 2015 edition of the International Fire Code, with amendments to reflect the unique New York City environment.
“The passage of this legislation will provide the framework necessary for a greener tomorrow by establishing the ability for lithium-ion batteries and other storage technologies to be utilized safely,” said Council Member Borelli. “These landmark environmental changes will increase energy efficiency and reduce the City’s carbon footprint. By passing this legislation, we also return the ability to produce spirits within the city limits, an industry we were once renowned for.”
Additionally, the Fire Code amendments include a comprehensive revision of the requirements for energy storage systems, with the goal of establishing a regulatory framework that opens the door to the use of lithium-ion and other new battery technologies to power buildings and building systems, while assuring appropriate building fire safety. Among other provisions, the bill also establishes a regulatory framework for New York City’s emerging distilled spirits industry, authorizes the use of hydrogen fuel cells to further the City’s clean energy efforts, and hundreds of other substantive and technical amendments.
PARKS
Renames Archie Spigner Park
Int. 2462, sponsored by Council Member Daneek Miller, officially rename “St. Albans Park” in Queens to “Archie Spigner Park.”
The renaming would honor the recently deceased former Council Member Archie Spigner who served the area where the park is located for many years in numerous capacities.
“Archie Spigner was a citywide figure and was especially renowned as a champion of Southeast Queens, and it is truly an honor to be able to push this legislation through. The renaming of St. Albans Park is so meaningful given Archie’s stewardship and dedication to its renovation, which extended well after his tenure as Council Member. As a Member of the Council, as its Deputy Majority Leader and as executive director for the National League of Cities, Archie burnished a record as one of our City’s primer civic leaders, supporting working people, activating and organizing voters, and building a more equitable city,” said Council Member I. Daneek Miller. “Archie Spigner’s legacy will be enshrined in the park he held so dear for future generations to recognize, and I thank Speaker Johnson for his support and look forward to Introduction 2462 being passed today.”
This local law would take effect immediately.
Co-names thoroughfares and public places
Int. 2447- Sponsored by Speaker Corey Johnson, will co-name 194 thoroughfares and public places, based on requests of Council Members whose district includes the location. Of these 194 co-names, 16 are either a relocation of a previously enacted co-naming or a revision to the street sign installed with respect to a previously enacted co-naming.
This local law would take effect immediately.
RESOLUTIONS
Res. 1840-A, sponsored by Council Member Ben Kallos, will ask the State legislature to enact and the Governor to sign A.5573/S.3082 which would limit circumstances in which a landlord could recover possession of a rental unit, or fail to renew a lease to specific “good cause” grounds for removal, which include, failure to pay a rent that has not been unreasonably increased, violation of a substantial obligation under the lease, use of the property for illegal activity, or unreasonably refusing access to make necessary repairs.
“We all deserve to feel secure in our homes,” said Council Member Kallos. “Good-cause eviction will protect our tenants and our communities from predatory rent hikes and landlord harassment. We urge the State Legislature to pass this A.5573/S.3082 to provide New Yorkers with real housing security.”
Res. 1782, sponsored by Council Member Adrienne Adams, will seek changes to State law related to qualifications for being a police officer. Specifically, the Resolution asks the State Legislature to enact, and Governor to sign, A7284/S6489, known as the “Wandering Officers Act.” This legislation will amend NYS Executive Law to require the state’s Municipal Police Training Council to adopt rules relating to eligibility for civil service appointment as police officers such that an individual shall be prohibited from appointment if such person had previously been dismissed from any police department due to findings of misconduct or resigned while under investigation pursuant to a charge of misconduct.
Res. 561, sponsored by Council Member Adams, will call upon the New York City Department of Education to provide human trafficking prevention training to public school administrators, teachers, and staff.
Res. 1872, sponsored by Paul Vallone, will declare April 1 as Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Jee Day. Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Jee was the ninth Guru of the Sikh religion is remembered for including democratic ideals in his religious practice, resistance to tyranny, and respect and tolerance for all lifestyles. He was publicly executed in 1675 for his opposition to religious persecution during the rule of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, who forcibly converted persons to the Muslim religion and destroyed Hindu temples.
Res. 1222, sponsored by Council Member Carlina Rivera, will call upon the United States Congress to pass and the President to sign the Green New Deal for Public Housing Act. In 2019, Senator Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced the introduction of the “Green New Deal for Public Housing Act,” seeking to commit up to $180 billion over a decade to rehabilitate, upgrade, and transition 1.2 million public housing units across the nation.
Res. 1201-A, sponsored by Council Member Rivera, will call on Congress to pass and the President to sign, H.R.235, the Public Housing Emergency Response Act.
Res. 204, sponsored by Council Member Mathieu Eugene, will declare May 4th New York City Teachers, Educational Administrators and Education Support Staff Recognition Day in order to recognize and highlight the important work they do to keep our city’s schools running and to educate our children and provide a suitable environment for learning.
“As a lifelong advocate for youth, I am sponsoring Resolution 205 to promote the safety and well-being of our young people through the instruction of peaceful conflict resolution, and Resolution 206 to include swimming lessons and water safety education for students in grades K-12. I am also honored to introduce Resolution 204 declaring May 4th as New York City Teachers, Educational Administrators and Education Support Staff Recognition Day to recognize and highlight the important work they do to keep our city’s schools running and to educate our children while providing a suitable environment for learning.
In addition, I am pleased to sponsor Resolutions 207 and 208 that call for the inclusion of Haitian history in our public education curriculum as part of Black History Month and in the social studies curriculum in order to highlight the enormous contributions of Haitians to United States history,” said Council Member Eugene.
Res. 205, sponsored by Council Member Eugene, will call upon the New York City Department of Education, as well as the New York State and federal governments, to include instruction in peaceful conflict resolution as part of the required curriculum in all schools.
Res. 206, sponsored by Council Member Eugene, will call upon the State of New York to include in its curriculum requirements, swimming lessons and water safety education to all students in public schools from kindergarten through 12th grade where appropriate and swimming-related instruction, such as water safety and dry land strokes to all students in public schools from kindergarten through 12th grade when their school does not have a pool in the building or is not within 10 miles of a pool where appropriate.
Res. 207, sponsored by Council Member Eugene, will call upon the New York City Department of Education to add the history of Haiti, including the Haitian Revolution and the abolition of slavery, to the public schools’ Black History Month curriculum.
Res. 208, sponsored by Council Member Eugene, will call on the New York City Department of Education to acknowledge the participation of Haitian soldiers in the Siege of Savannah and the impact of the Haitian Revolution on the Louisiana Purchase, by adding these events to the public schools’ social studies curriculum.
Res. 638, sponsored by Council Member Eugene from the Committee on Health, calls on the New York State Department of Health to create stand-alone, self-contained isolation centers or units for the treatment of patients with infectious disease due to epidemic, including highly contagious and airborne diseases
FINANCE
Int. 2470, sponsored by Council Member Daniel Dromm by request of the Mayor, will extend the deadline to release the Fiscal 2023 Preliminary Budget from January 16, 2022 to February 16, 2022.
Preconsidered Res., sponsored by Council Member Brad Lander, will express the Council’s support to continue to fund the loan payment guarantee portion of the Taxi Medallion Relief Program, subject to appropriation, should additional funding be needed.
LAND USE
SoHo/NoHo Neighborhood Plan -The New York City Department of City Planning (DCP), is proposing a map amendment and a series of text amendments to the New York City Zoning Resolution that would apply to an approximately 56- block, 146-acre area of the SoHo and NoHo neighborhoods of Manhattan Community District 2. These actions would create the Special SoHo-NoHo Mixed-Use District, apply MIH to the new special district, and replace existing zoning districts with a mix of medium- and high-density mixed-use districts. Together these actions will facilitate opportunities to create affordable housing and strengthen the mixed-use character of the neighborhoods, including office and retail uses. The Council will modify this application in Council Members Margaret Chin and Carlina Rivera’s district.
250 Water Street -250 Seaport District, LLC, seeks a seeks a zoning text amendment and a zoning special permit affecting the project site in the South Street Seaport Sub-district of the Special Lower Manhattan District to facilitate the redevelopment of the full block in lower Manhattan bounded by Water Street, Beekman Street, Pearl Street, and Peck Slip (Manhattan Block 98, Lot 1) AKA Zoning Lot A, within the South Street Seaport Historic District and the Special Lower Manhattan Zoning District. The proposed Actions would facilitate the development of Zoning Lot A into a new 324-foot tall, 550,000 zoning square foot mixed-use residential, community facility, and commercial development by transferring floor area from the Seaport Development Rights Bank to Zoning Lot A. A total of approximately 75,260 square feet—20% of total residential floor area— would be designated as “affordable” floor area at an average income threshold of 40% of area median income (i.e. comparable to the “Deep Affordability Option” for developments subject to Mandatory Inclusionary Housing). The Council will modify this application in Council Member Margaret Chin’s district.
175 Park Avenue – Commodore Owner LLC and the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services request a Zoning text amendment, four special permits, and a disposition of City owned property to facilitate an approximately 2.2-million-square-foot (11.02 FAR)mixed-use office, retail, and hotel development at 175 Park Avenue (Manhattan Block 1280, Lot 30) on the current site of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, adjacent to Grand Central Terminal together with significant transportation infrastructure and public realm improvements. The text amendment would amend provisions relating to existing special permits in ZR Sections 81-644, 81-645, and 81-685. The special permits from the City Planning Commission would allow hotel use; a permit for a floor area ratio increase of 3.0 (611,616 square feet) for the provision of transit improvements; a permit to allow an FAR increase of 1.27 (259,224 square feet) for the provision of public concourse improvementsand to modify loading regulations; and a permit to modify qualifying site, floor area, street wall, height and setback, district plan elements, publicly accessible space,and special permit term regulations. The Council will modify this application in Council Member Keith Powers’ district.
Coney Island Amusement Park Project Plan – Third Amendment to the Special Process Agreement – Coney Island Amusement Park Project Plan (CIAPPP) and NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), proposed a Third Amendment to the Special Process Agreement to extend the leases with the park operators for an additional 10 years and to authorize NYCEDC to extend leases for properties that have suffered due to the severe financial losses as a result of COVID-19 closures in Council Member Mark Treyger’s District.
Special Brooklyn Navy Yard District – Building 77 QALICB, Inc. and New York City Department of Small Business Services seek a zoning text amendment to create the Special Brooklyn Navy Yard District with special use, bulk, parking and loading, and publicly accessible space regulations; and a zoning map amendment to map the Special District over the Brooklyn Navy Yard and change an R6B district, M1-2 districts and portions of an M3-1 district within the Project Area to an M2-1 district. These actions would facilitate a the build out of the Navy Yard’s Master Plan to add 4.6 million square feet of development and thousands of new jobs over the next 10-15 years. It is expected that the large majority of this development will occur near the perimeter of the Yard in three areas: (i) Navy Street north of Sands Street, (ii) Flushing Avenue between Vanderbilt and Washington Avenues, and (iii) on two parcels around the Barge Basin, including one located on Kent Avenue north of Clymer Street. New development is envisioned to prioritize manufacturing uses but also include uses that would attract and provide amenities to support the Yard’s growing workforce, such as retail (which could serve workers and provide a market for certain tenants to sell their products) and amenities like health clubs. The Proposed Development will be developed with a Yard-wide “Transportation Management Plan” designed to reduce unnecessary vehicular traffic arriving at the Navy Yard and avoid the cost of constructing unneeded loading berths and parking facilities. The Council will modify this application in Council Member Stephen Levin’s district.
River Ring – River Street Partners LLC, seeks a proposed zoning map amendment from M3-1 to C6-2 and M1-4, zoning text amendment to designate a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Area and modify certain provisions for large scale general developments, large scale general development special permit, special permit to reduce required off-street parking spaces, authorization to modify waterfront public access area requirements, city map amendment to close and eliminate portions of Metropolitan Avenue and North 1st St, and a landfill action. These actions would facilitate the development of a proposed waterfront mixed-use development with approximately 1,050 dwelling units, 263 affordable, on a vacant site formerly owned by Con Edison. The Council will modify this application in Council Member Stephen Levin’s district.
79 Quay Street – Quay plaza LLC, seeks a proposed zoning map amendment from M1-2/R6A to M1-2/R7D and related zoning text amendment to Article XII, Chapter 3 of the Zoning Resolution to add an R7D zoning district to the MX-8 Designated Residence Districts and to Appendix F to establish a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (“MIH”) Area, Options 1 and 2. These actions would facilitate the development of a new nine-story mixed –used building with ground floor commercial use and approximately 86 housing units. The Council will modify this application in Council Member Stephen Levin’s district.
103-16 Van Wyck Expressway Rezoning – 10316 Van Wyck Exp LLC, requests approval of a proposed zoning map amendment to change an existing R3A zoning district to an R6B/C2-3 zoning district in the South Richmond Hill neighborhood of Queens Community District 10. A zoning text amendment to Appendix F of the Zoning Resolution would establish an MIH area over the rezoning area (Options 1 and 2). These actions would facilitate the development of a new four-story plus cellar mixed-use building with ground floor commercial use and approximately 18 housing units and 13 parking units. The Proposed Development will either provide five affordable housing units (25%) pursuant to Option 1 of the MIH program. The Council will modify this application in Council Member Adrienne Adam’s district.
106 – 05 Archer Avenue – Archer 1 LLC, seeks an amendment to the Zoning Resolution of the City of New York to create an authorization to allow curb cuts on restricted streets in the Special Downtown Jamaica District. A contemporaneous authorization pursuant to new Section 115-53 of the Zoning Resolution seeks to allow a curb cut on Archer Avenue, between 160th Street and Union Hall Street, to provide a permitted loading berth to be used by retail tenants and tenants of the approximately 315 apartments in the new building being constructed at the site. The Council will modify this application in Council Member Daneek Miller’s district.
FRESH Update – New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) seeking approval for a zoning text amendment to modify and expand the existing Food Retail Expansion to Support Health (FRESH) program under ZR 63-00 for neighborhood grocery stores in Use Group 6 throughout the City. The proposed zoning text amendment, FRESH II, would update the existing program under the NYC ZR 63-00 that provides incentives for neighborhood grocery stores to locate in underserved neighborhoods in the City. FRESH II would include an expansion of the program boundary as well as updates to all eligible areas, including a mechanism to prevent saturation of FRESH supermarkets, modification to the glazing requirement for conversions, changes to parking regulations, as well as zoning text clarifications in serval council members districts.
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