WORLD WORLDWIDE USA New York NY New York City NYC the city THE CITY News Journal Update - THE CITY SCOOP: Building Owners Could Get Two More Years to Comply with Impending Climate Law

 

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If you know anyone who might like this newsletter, send it to them. If this was sent to you by someone else, subscribe here — it's free!  Dear New Yorkers, Less than four months before a climate change law is slated to take effect, the Department of Buildings answered long-standing questions about requirements designed to reduce carbon emissions from buildings. Local Law 97, passed by the City Council in 2019, puts limits on carbon on all buildings larger than 25,000 square feet, including apartments and offices. Most building owners the law applies to must comply starting next year, and the emissions limits ratchet down in 2030 and 2050. Owners not in compliance could face fines of $268 for every ton of emissions above the limit. According to new rules proposed by the DOB, building owners who make a “good-faith effort” to meet the caps but don’t achieve them by the 2024 deadline may get two more years before fines hit. For some, the leeway makes sense and will help quell the anxieties building owners and co-op members have about Local Law 97. For others, the wiggle room signals a long-feared attempt to weaken the law and push back the benefits of greening buildings — which are the biggest source of planet-warming emissions in the city. Read more here. In other news: Whose Streets? Pro-Car Protesters Block Traffic in Greenpoint  Opponents of a proposed redesign of McGuinness Boulevard in Greenpoint that would reduce the number of lanes marched along the roadway Tuesday evening, blocking traffic, in an effort to thwart what one protester called “a big sloppy DOT experiment.” The protest came after city officials walked back their redesign plans this summer amid pressure from a politically-connected family and a top mayoral aide. A compromise plan the  DOT had promised to move ahead with was stopped in part last week, with Streetsblog reporting the city would implement safety improvements along the northern part of the street, but conduct a new "traffic analysis” before continuing with or modifying its plans for the southern half — Gwynne Hogan Some other items of note: Over the past year, Airbnb offered a lifeline for about 15 LaGuardia Community College students experiencing homelessness, with the booking giant providing vouchers to the school. Now, Airbnb says that the new city law barring almost all short-term rentals accounts for why it may not re-up the successful program, since “very few” hosts are eligible to continue operating in the city and new ones may not join since Local Law 18 took effect last week. “We would work very closely to make sure that the students that are brought to us are not going to be impacted here, but the long-term impact is that this program might not have enough hosts and listings to continue operating,” a spokesperson told THE CITY. Yesterday, the state cannabis agency approved regulations that expand the adult-use market. Beginning Oct. 4, the general public will be allowed to apply to run stores and farm weed. The state’s initial rollout focused on distressed farmers and justice-impacted individuals. The new rules pave the way for major companies to enter the market — at a time when farmers across the state are sitting on hundreds of thousands of pounds of unsold cannabis and new, licensed stores remain blocked from opening by a court injunction Earlier this month, the New York state Department of Health ceased reporting overall COVID-19 case numbers. As a result, we’re no longer able to include updates in our Coronavirus in New York City tracker. We’ve kept past numbers for the historical record. According to health experts consulted by THE CITY, hospitalization rates, ICU capacity and vaccination rates remain the best indicators of the current state of the pandemic — all of which are updated regularly on our tracker. Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Wednesday's Weather Rating: 3/10. Showers and storms are ongoing and may hang around through early afternoon. Very warm and humid weather to start, but it'll actually improve by early evening as a cold front finally approaches the area. The vibes remain unsettled… for now. Things To Do Here’s what’s going on around the city this week. Friday, Sept. 15: The New York Public Library Job Expo & Fair, with career workshops in both English and Spanish. Bronx Library Center, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free. Saturday, Sept. 16: Poseidon Parade, a celebration of end-of-summer with costumes and floats. Beach 94 Street Plaza Amphitheater at Rockaway Beach in Queens, 12-2 p.m. Free. Saturday, Sept. 16: Art is Alive 2023, a multi-disciplined conference of forms from an African and African diasporic experience. Weeksville Heritage Center in Brooklyn, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free. THE KICKER: In case you missed it — after a day of rain and humidity, a massive double-rainbow appeared over NYC on the evening of Sept. 11. Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Wednesday. Love, THE CITY P.S. Love THE CITY? 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