L.L. 2010/005

Enactment date: 3/18/2010

Preconsidered Int. No. 77

By Council Members Gennaro, Garodnick, Chin, Fidler, Gentile, James, Lander, Lappin, Mark-Viverito, Reyna, Sanders Jr., White, Williams, Halloran, Koo and Vann

A Local Law to amend the New York city charter and the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to streamlining approvals for environmentally beneficial technologies, design and construction techniques, materials and products.

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. Legislative findings and intent. The Council finds that new technologies, materials and products that address environmental concerns are rapidly being developed, and many building owners and developers are eager to implement them. However, there are often no rules governing the use of new "green" technologies, design and construction techniques, materials and products. There are also interagency regulatory issues, which can effectively prohibit or delay projects that utilize new technologies. Many innovative green building projects have difficulty obtaining permits because the technologies introduce interdisciplinary issues that are hard to regulate by separate agencies. Nonetheless, the City benefits from the experimental efforts of early adopters and should facilitate their work.

The Council further finds that coordinating activities among city agencies may expedite the adoption of sustainable building practices and technologies materials and products providing the range of environmental, sustainability and health benefits associated with green building.

Therefore, the Council finds that it is in the best interests of the City to consolidate the activities of key agencies within a single interagency task force to be headed by the Director of the Mayor's Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability and to create within the Department of Buildings an Innovation Review Board to review new green technologies, design and construction techniques, materials and products and advise the Commissioner of Buildings under what conditions and for what purposes they may be safely employed in New York City.

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[Consolidated provisions are not included in this Appendix A]

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§ 4. This local law shall take effect one hundred twenty days after enactment, provided, however, that the commissioner of buildings and the director of the mayor's office of long-term planning and sustainability shall take such measures as are necessary for its implementation, including the promulgation of rules, prior to such effective date.