2003 Jun
2003 Jun Vol. 23, No. 6
Focus on...Law and Legislation
Providing Housing for the New Millennium
Housing in New York City has always been influenced by a changing urban landscape, population and demographic shifts, and a class-conscious economic and social strata that determined how people lived and in what neighborhoods they chose to call home. Read More
Renovations Without Headaches
Construction projects can certainly be traumatic but the difficulties inherent in residential renovation projects could be substantially minimized with professional oversight from a construction management firm. Read More
Coming to the Rescue
Bad things happen to good buildings; it's a fact of life. From tyrannical sponsors to maintenance mishaps, there's plenty to go wrong - and when it does, your life can be made miserable. But sometimes a truly inspired manager can pull a happy ending out of the stickiest situation. We spoke with some of the city's busy building managers to find out how they resolved some of their own worst-case scenarios. Read More
Relocation Services
Buying a new home is a very big decision that can be filled with excitement and fear, even if you're just moving across town. When you're coming to New York from another city, state, or even country, however, the task becomes much more challenging. Unless you know exactly where you want to live, relocating to the city means searching through over 300 miles of neighborhoods spanning five boroughs to find the right home. Manhattan alone breaks down even further into hundreds of little communities with homes for all budgets, each with its own special personality. Read More
Just A Phone Call Away
The old axiom about New York City government is that it's a bureaucratic hell, an exasperating nightmare in which John Q. Public gets passed from department to department whenever a problem crops up and immediate assistance is needed. Read More
Parking Dynamics
Driving around Manhattan can be a hazardous sport. Cabbies signal lane changes by changing lanes. Brazen bike messengers yield for few things, and stop for fewer. Congested pedestrian groups form walls as they cross the street, stymieing cars attempting to make right-hand turns. The harrowing journey often ends in an expensive parking garage, awash in the smell of burning rubber as an attendant peels off in your car. Comparatively, it can seem like a privilege to sit idly for a $2 subway ride. Read More
Pick It Up, Pack It Up, Put It Away
In a city where living and business space alike are hard to come by, wildly expensive, and constantly needing to be revamped, the question of where tenants should store their belongings begs to be asked. No one wants to give up livable space for storage closets, so creative alternatives are necessary to maximize usable dwelling areas while at the same time providing storage that's safe, clean and convenient for all residents. The placement of these areas can range from basements to in-unit facilities; it's up to residents and boards to decide which kind is right for their particular building. Read More
Go With the Flow
Nobody likes that unsettling feeling when you turn on your kitchen tap only to get a stream of cloudy, fizzy water. It's something that's happened to nearly everyone, no matter where you live, and it can't help but make you wonder if your water's clean enough to drink - and just who exactly is monitoring it. Read More
Renovations: A Work In Progress
Whether it's a house, co-op or condo, renovations are fraught with potential problems. Such quagmires as multiple change orders, delayed supplies or contractor errors can add substantial costs to a budget. One way to bypass problems and work within a strict design and construction budget is to plan precisely what needs to be done long before the project begins. Read More
We Meet Again
Of all the goings-on in the thousands of co-op and condo buildings in New York City, perhaps none inspires more questions and confusion than board and shareholders' meetings. How often must meetings be held? What gets decided at meetings? Who's invited to participate? What kinds of records must be kept of meetings? Read More
Feeling Your Pain
New York City's eight million hardy souls are used to a lifestyle in which the best of everything is at their disposal. But now residents may have to do more with less as the city struggles to find its way out of a deepening fiscal crisis. Read More
The Silent Killer
With all the recent concern over environmental hazards in residential buildings - mold, funguses, and various allergens - it makes good sense to discuss one of the most dangerous of the invisible problems that can plague a home or building: carbon monoxide, or - to use the chemical abbreviation - CO. Read More
Push and Pullman
In a decision with profound repercussions throughout the co-op community, the New York Court of Appeals decided last month to allow the application of the business judgment rule in situations involving so-called "objectionable tenants." Read More
Tulips and Trust Funds
Tell someone your address is on Park Avenue in New York City, and immediately you've conjured images of luxury, affluence, and status. Over the last two centuries, Park Avenue has become synonymous with the good life - the home of millionaire industrialists since the turn of the last century, it is now the address of wealthy financiers, attorneys, medical professionals, and old-money families who've been there for generations, living in some of the most luxurious co-op buildings in the city. Read More
Dollars & Sense
When most people think of fat, they think of unsightly rolls on out-of-shape bodies, but the truth is, buildings can be over-padded, too. Given the stagnant economy, boards can't afford to let their buildings just wallow in fiscal waste. It's time to seriously trim the pork from your building budget. I'm not talking about mortgages and finance; that's not my department. Increased property taxes, insurance premiums, and utilities are facts of life in New York City, and while complaining may feel better in the short term, there are decisive steps you can take to lower the day-to-day expenses in your building - and avoid paying the price for waste. Read More
