Last Friday, the New York City Council passed City Councilwoman Helen Rosenthal’s (D-Central Park, Lincoln Square) legislation, which provides New Yorkers with automatic email alerts about construction projects.
The bill, Intro 353, allows New York residents to sign up for email updates from the Department of Buildings about construction projects around the City. Those who opt in will be kept in the loop about buildings in their neighborhood that are under construction or renovation.
“Residents throughout New York City are overwhelmed by the seemingly ever-growing number of construction projects in their communities,” said Rosenthal. “At the very least, they should have easy access to the most up-to-date information about work underway near their homes, schools, etc.”
Rosenthal went on to say that the new bill places construction projects under public scrutiny, as those who sign up for the updates can evaluate the legality (or lack thereof) of said projects.
“Having real-time information about construction work in your community does not mitigate its impact, but it is a critical first step toward restoring a basic sense of control to residents,” Council Member Rosenthal continued. “And by signing up for updates about work on a particular building, residents will also be able to find out if that work is legal.”
This is not the first time Rosenthal has fought to place power and agency into the hands of apartment tenants. In 2017, she wrote a bill creating an Office of the Tenant Advocate within the Department of Buildings, whose purpose is to receive and process complaints from tenants about illicit construction projects.
