Emily Myers

New York

Writer at Habitat Magazine

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Articles

NYC water rate hike likely to impact co-ops and condos

1 day ago | habitatmag.com | Emily Myers

Another water rate hike is likely just around the corner. A series of public hearings are scheduled between May 27 and June 3 in each borough to consider a proposed 3.7% increase in water rates. The relatively good news is that the proposed increase, which would go into effect July 1, is in fact the lowest in four years. In the past decade, the largest increase of 8.5% was last year (however, rate increases were frozen in 2017, 2018 and 2021).
Co-op on Lower East Side secures funding for staircase repair

1 week ago | habitatmag.com | Emily Myers

What began 15 years ago as a hallway renovation at a co-op on the Lower East Side has morphed into a major project to realign the building’s sloping staircase. “It’s been a frustrating journey,” says board president Tania Levey. However, the first step has finally been achieved — securing a $300,000 loan to repair broken hallway tiles and crooked stairs.
Landmark co-op in NYC opts for fiberglass in cornice repair

3 weeks ago | habitatmag.com | Emily Myers

When the decorative terra cotta cornice at 310 West End Avenue — a landmarked Upper West Side co-op — started to deteriorate, the temporary solution was to enclose it in mesh. “It was a stop-gap measure,” says board president Dan Ripp. The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) typically requires an historic clay or stone cornice to be replaced with a near identical material. What followed was a bold suggestion from a board member who was also an architect.
New Yorkers are urged to report non-compliant buildings to 311.

4 weeks ago | habitatmag.com | Emily Myers

With nearly 2,000 fines issued in the first week of composting enforcement, New Yorkers are being urged to report buildings that aren’t using their brown bins. Mandatory compost rules were introduced last October, and building owners were given a six-month grace period without penalties, which ended on April 1.
Co-op in Queens to benefit from J-51 R tax incentive

1 month ago | habitatmag.com | Emily Myers

They didn’t know it at the time, but when 41-15 44th St. Owners Corp. committed to two big renovation projects last year, the timing was perfect. The 71-unit co-op in Sunnyside, Queens, bit the bullet on nearly $600,000 in combined elevator upgrades and facade repairs, which was paid through a line of credit as well as a four-year assessment. Now, having recently completed the work, the co-op has found an unexpected silver lining — the new J-51 R tax incentive.
sidewalk-shed-rules-fisp-facade-co-ops-condos

1 month ago | habitatmag.com | Emily Myers

The much despised sidewalk sheds are the bane of co-ops and condos undertaking building repairs, but new rules passed by the City Council to remove unsightly scaffolding could create more challenges and costs for boards. The regulations significantly reduce the duration of sidewalk shed permits for facade repairs from one year to three months. They add new penalties of up to $20,000 each time a plan, permit and facade repair isn’t completed within a specific timeline.
New sidewalk shed rules pose challenges for co-ops and condos

1 month ago | habitatmag.com | Emily Myers

The much despised sidewalk sheds are the bane of co-ops and condos undertaking building repairs, but new rules passed by the City Council to remove unsightly scaffolding could create more challenges and costs for boards. The regulations significantly reduce the duration of sidewalk shed permits for facade repairs from one year to three months. They add new penalties of up to $20,000 each time a plan, permit and facade repair isn’t completed within a specific timeline.
Co-op at 3025 Ocean Ave. Tackles Facade Neglect

1 month ago | habitatmag.com | Emily Myers

For years residents at 3025 Ocean Ave., a 91-unit post-war co-op in Sheepshead Bay, lived with leaks and water damage as a result of a neglected facade. Inspection reports were repeatedly rejected as incomplete by the Department of Buildings, resulting in violations. With shareholder concerns ignored, “people started fixing the leaks themselves from the inside,” says Leonard Altman, who successfully ran for board president three years ago in an effort to protect his investment in the co-op.
Electrifying New York co-op buildings to reduce carbon emissions

1 month ago | habitatmag.com | Emily Myers

Faced with an initial Local Law 97 penalty of $80,000 for excess carbon emissions, the co-op board at 525 E. 82nd St. needed to decide how to upgrade the building’s outdated heating and cooling system. In the summer, the gas-powered boiler was running a low-pressure absorption chiller for its air conditioning needs. “It was very inefficient," says Michael Scorrano, founder of the consultancy En-Power Group, which was hired by the board.
Ventilation Upgrades at Brooklyn's One Grand Army Plaza

1 month ago | habitatmag.com | Emily Myers

Stuffy corridors, dripping vents and a D grade for energy efficiency: These were just some of the problems plaguing the board at One Grand Army Plaza, in Brooklyn’s Prospect Heights. Built in 2008, the glass-clad, 15-story condo has long been uncomfortable inside during the summer. “We were getting a tremendous amount of humidity and the floors were becoming slick,” says board president Marla Maritzer.