Report on legislation to authorize the Commissioner of Buildings of New York City to vary or modify a provision or requirement of the Multiple Dwelling Law

SUMMARY

The Land Use, Planning and Zoning Committee expressed support for legislation which would authorize the New York City Commissioner of Buildings to vary or modify any provision or requirement of the Multiple Dwelling Law where strict compliance results in practical difficulty or unnecessary hardship, as long as the spirit and intent of the law are maintained and public safety is preserved. The report notes that the benefits of the legislation, such as encouraging investment, discouraging deferred maintenance and improving the quality of lower-income housing by allowing older buildings to be renovated with greater flexibility, greatly outweigh any possible concerns expressed by opponents of the legislation.

Originally Issued March 2014; Reissued January 2015

BILL INFORMATION 

A.2664 (AM Weprin) / S.1073 (Sen. Golden) – grants the Commissioner of Buildings of New York City the power to waive provisions of the multiple dwelling law with regard to construction or alteration of multiple dwellings (NYS 2015)