Michael E. Lefkowitz

On Wednesday, September 25, the City Planning Commission adopted a sweeping set of zoning text amendments aimed at addressing the city’s housing crisis. Dubbed “City of Yes for Housing Opportunity,” this proposal could significantly impact development potential across all five boroughs. The proposal now heads to the City Council for final approval, where it faces…

Good Cause Eviction (GCE) Notice Dear Clients: As we advised in our April 22, 2024 Summary of the 2024 Housing Laws on April 20, 2024, the Good Cause Eviction Law (“GCE”) was enacted. Pursuant to the new Real Property Law (“RPL”) §231-c, landlords are required to append or incorporate a “Good Cause Eviction Law Notice”…

On June 6, 2024, the City of Yes for Economic Opportunity (COYEO) zoning text amendments were approved and became effective. Among the many changes COYEO made to the Zoning Resolution was the complete reorganization of the zoning Use Groups. While this was a long overdue modernization, bringing the Zoning Resolution’s categories in line with the…

In this episode of Inside R&E, Michael A. Pensabene, R&E Litigation Member, invites for the second time Tina Larsson, Co-Founder & CEO of The Folson Group, for a high-level discussion of some of New York City’s most substantial Local Laws introduced this year, detailing the ways in which these changes impact coop / condo owners…

On June 14, 2024 HPD clarified how 421-a(16) projects can request and receive an extension of time to achieve a Completion Date (until June 15, 2031). The previous Completion Date deadline until now has been June 15, 2026. HPD’s website now explains: Qualifying rental projects and homeownership projects with a completion date between June 16, 2026…

As a follow-up to the firm’s May 1, 2024 and May 16, 2024 announcements regarding recent changes to the New York State Cannabis Law and related amendments to curb unlicensed cannabis sales in New York State, we have noticed a strong uptick in the government’s forced shuttering of unlicensed retail cannabis dispensaries across the City. The…

Corporate Transparency Act: Does it apply to you? On this episode of Inside R&E, Dave Lorenzo interviews R&E’s William Byers, a member of the firm and seasoned transactional attorney, who demystifies the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). The CTA, enacted to combat money laundering and other illicit activities, mandates the disclosure of beneficial owners and controllers…

As announced by Rosenberg & Estis, P.C. earlier this week, the 2025 Budget Legislation signed into law by Governor Hochul on April 20, 2024 included major new and amended housing laws to reshape residential development and ownership in New York City and New York State. The same Budget Legislation also includes amendments to the New York…

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has just issued the 2024 Area Median Income numbers for the NYC Metropolitan Area (“AMI”) which show an approximate 10% increase over 2023 AMI numbers. AMI numbers are typically used by regulatory agencies to calculate the income limits and rents for affordable housing units. The NYC Department of…

On March 20, 2024, the City Planning Commission formally adopted the Green Fast Track for Housing rule changes to reduce the burden of environmental review on new housing developments by shortening approval times and reducing costs for new housing projects. The plan is part of Mayor Adams’ “Get Stuff Built” initiative. Under the new rules,…

Governor Kathy Hochul has released five key legislative proposals to increase housing supply, incentivize conversions, and develop new multifamily housing with affordability requirements. The new tax incentive proposals are similar to previous proposals by the Governor but with minor and sometimes crucial changes. These proposals also delegate significant authority to the City of New York…

The Industrial and Commercial Abatement Program (ICAP) provides a New York City property tax abatement for the construction or renovation of commercial, industrial, and certain mixed-use properties. In order to be eligible for these property tax benefits, property owners must adhere to the following deadlines (unless the ICAP law is renewed and extended):  Rosenberg & Estis,…