What's happening
This bill requires the NYC Department of Buildings to review and comment on building bulk applications for zoning compliance, removing certain professional certification approvals.
Why it matters
Increases oversight of zoning compliance. By requiring all building bulk applications to be reviewed and commented on by the Department of Buildings (DOB), this bill aims to ensure that proposals more strictly follow NYC’s zoning bulk regulations, potentially reducing loopholes or misinterpretations that could lead to oversized or out-of-scope buildings.
Removes self-certification for bulk compliance. The bill specifically bars professional engineers and architects from using professional certification alone to approve bulk-related aspects of building projects, closing a pathway that previously allowed expedited—but sometimes less scrutinized—approvals.
Could slow down development timelines. Mandatory DOB review of all bulk applications may increase the time needed to obtain approvals, affecting developers and property owners by potentially delaying project starts, but also offering greater assurance to the public that developments comply with city rules.
Responds to concerns about enforcement and transparency. This change addresses longstanding concerns that self-certification can be abused or lead to regulatory oversights, aiming to restore public trust in the city’s land use process, particularly in neighborhoods where overdevelopment is a contentious issue.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Review Building Bulk Plans
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to cities
- Referred to cities
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
4436
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 2, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. CYMBROWITZ -- read once and referred to the Committee on Cities
AN ACT to amend the New York city charter, in relation to land use review for conformity with bulk regulations
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The New York city charter is amended by adding a new section 197-e to read as follows:
§ 197-e. Land use review for conformity with bulk regulations. The commissioner of the department of buildings shall establish a program whereby professional engineers and registered architects licensed to practice engineering or architecture under section seventy-two hundred two or seventy-three hundred two of the education law shall submit applications solely respecting the building bulk of all proposals for changes, approvals, contracts, consents, permits or authorization thereof respecting the use, development or improvement of real property subject to city regulation to the department of buildings for review and comment. The department of buildings shall determine whether such applications comply with the bulk regulations found in article three of the zoning resolution.
Notwithstanding any other law, rule or regulation to the contrary, applications solely respecting bulk review shall not be approved pursuant to professional certification.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law; provided, however, that effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized and directed to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06958-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.