Press Coverage
Council Member Ben Kallos has proposed legislation to make sure sheds stand for no more than 90 days. And de Blasio on Wednesday said the city's Department of Buildings is doing more to enforce existing time limits.
Yet still, many remain even on city property such as NYCHA buildings.
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — New York City has announced a plan to improve the appearance of New York City public housing buildings.
The $111 million project will tear down unsightly sheds and scaffolds and fix façades at 45 buildings in 15 NYCHA developments.
The bill would provide the laureate — to be named before Jan. 30 every year — with a stipend and “in-kind resources” to cover the costs of the duties associated, though no dollar amount is specified in the legislation.
“The drag laureate would serve to champion and highlight the contributions of the drag community in New York City’s business, arts and cultural spaces,” said Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Queens), the chief sponsor of the measure, which is also backed by Councilmen Carlos Menchaca (D-Brooklyn) and Ben Kallos (D-Manhattan).
Legal and staffing challenges have made it nearly impossible to enforce the 2010 law, leaving commercial operators of multiple short-term units able to continue skirting it. That’s where the bill, introduced by Councilman Ben Kallos, comes in. The bill requires hosts to register with the city and obtain a registration number before they can rent out their homes, and only short-term rentals that conform to city and state law are eligible: the unit must be the host’s primary residence, and the host must be present during the rental. Registration will make it more difficult for landlords and other scofflaw operators to maintain multiple listings that are not their primary residence.
The New York City council is considering a bill which, if passed, could turn internet into a free building amenity such as hot water and heat.
As per Time Out NY, Councilman Ben Kallos introduced a bill proposing that all new construction in NYC should be required to have wiring for internet. The bill would also require that within three years, all landlords with over 10 units should provide free broadband internet to residents. Kallos, elected in 2013 and lauded by the Times for his “fresh ideas ”, represents District 5 including the Upper East Side, Midtown East, Roosevelt Island and East Harlem.
What will ultimately matter is whether Kallos's Council colleagues defer to his wishes and vote against it in mid-November, or defy his preferences to support the project — a distinct possibility, according to some reports.
Wednesday's hearing offered few clues. The only other Council members who spoke at length were Manhattan member Keith Powers and Brooklyn lawmaker Antonio Reynoso, whose questions to the Blood Center team offered little indication of how they will ultimately vote.
Reynoso, though, suggested a possible path forward through negotiation.
"I hope that you and Councilmember Kallos can sit more," he told the Blood Center team, "and get to a place where we can all be happy."
In Ben Kallos’s view, internet access is as much a basic necessity as heat and hot water. And he has a point, after a year in which a lot of us began our remote-work lives. More than 500,000 households in New York City lack internet access — and that’s why Kallos, the Upper East Side City Councilmember, has put forth a proposal requiring that all new residential buildings, as well as those undergoing renovations, be wired for broadband and that owners of all existing buildings with ten or more units provide it to their tenants gratis. After a three-year grace period to get everything up and running, that would give virtually all New Yorkers internet access — in theory, at least. It’s a laudable goal, one that Kallos calls “the right thing to do.”
But shouldn’t universal broadband be a public amenity to begin with? (In many communities across the U.S., it already is.) What we’d be doing here, instead, is asking private-property owners to pay private companies in what amounts to a large giveaway to Spectrum, Verizon, and the other telecom giants who dominate the business. Kallos, of course, adopts the position — not unreasonable — that this is the way to get things done right now, rather than waiting for the much bigger, citywide shift laid out in the city’s Internet Master Plan. That is a yearslong, multibillion-dollar undertaking (and it has taken us since 2014 just to get to this point), and it will not, in the end, create a true citywide public-internet utility; instead, it will rely on a mix of public and private partnerships. “This is more immediate,” Kallos says, “and even in the jurisdictions that offer municipal broadband, it’s adding competition to the market, but it doesn’t make it free,” he told Curbed. “You have a lot of New Yorkers who, when the rent is done — the MetroCard, the groceries, the prescriptions are done — there’s just nothing left to pay for internet.”
Certainly true, but you have to suspect that landlords, or at least those owning unregulated apartments, will simply pass those costs right through in the form of rent increases. “Who is really going to end up paying for it? Is it the consumers, again?” asks Jane Coffin, a senior vice president at Internet Society, a nonprofit that advocates for greater access. The bill would prohibit landlords from spiking rents, but Kallos concedes that it doesn’t set fines or create an enforcement mechanism; that would fall to the city’s housing department, which is already overwhelmed. “I would start with public investment stepping up first,” Coffin says, noting that landlords can lawyer up against any new mandate. “You don’t want to run into a five-year battle in court with these cats.”
“Ultimately those free-market apartments will see rent increases to cover the costs. It’s human nature — it’s not greed. You have to cover the costs somewhere,” said Jay Martin, the executive director of the Community Housing Improvement Program, which represents operators of more than 400,000 apartments in the city. Martin’s greatest concern, he says, is for owners of rent-stabilized apartments, who would be on the hook to retrofit decades-old buildings with broadband and unable to recoup those costs through rent because increases for those units are set annually by the Rent Guidelines Board. Kallos’s bill, though, would set up city-funded grants to help landlords who can show that installing the infrastructure out of pocket would be a financial strain.
All that said, internet advocates aren’t ready to dismiss this bill. Most important, for Coffin, is ensuring that landlords aren’t pushed into a no-other-options situation for good. “There’s a balance here. You want the connectivity in the building, but are you locking in a company that landlords may not be able to afford later on? You don’t want to eliminate choice,” said Coffin. Incentives, such as a tax break, could make property owners more amenable to footing the bill for tenants’ internet. As long as there’s room for competition from smaller networks, suggests Brian Hall, the founder of NYC Mesh, a volunteer-run collective that connects tenants and buildings to the internet using fiber cables and wireless routers, the legislation is “the logical thing to do.” Hall explains that when Verizon and Spectrum install cables in a building, they can effectively keep any other entity out and maintain a monopoly; requiring the owners to do it during construction and renovations would remove that obstacle and makes it easier for NYC Mesh and other small community networks to offer a cheap alternative to the telecom giants. “Ideally, the internet would be regarded just as water. You don’t think about where your water comes from — it’s just there in your apartment,” said Hall. “This could make it a lot cheaper for the residents, and a lot simpler, and move us closer to that.”
Internet, Kallos believes, needs to be a utility in the same way that electricity, heat, hot water, and phone service are. Landlords who can’t afford to provide it can apply for aid, although he says that they’re looking at an investment that starts as low as $14.95 a month to buy internet in bulk.
The digital gap among New Yorkers and the need for internet became glaring during the pandemic. With remote work and schooling as a way of life and Zoom as a mainstay, New Yorkers who had to live without it faced roadblock after roadblock: Students couldn’t keep up with school, and employees couldn’t do their jobs. Kallos’s proposal is the first of its kind, according to Shaun Pappas, a real estate lawyer at Starr Associates in New York.
A law requiring free internet to every apartment in New York City may actually be coming!
Council member Ben Kallos proposed a new bill that would require landlords with ten or more units to give tenants free internet. “Such dwellings would be subject to additional technical requirements,” the bill reads, “including the installation of Ethernet ports and wiring to facilitate internet access. Violations would be punished under the Housing Maintenance Code.”
As reported by Patch, Kallos wants the bill to pass in order to help underprivileged New Yorkers.. There are currently 500,000 residents who don't have Internet access. Kallos believe the service is a utility like electricity, heat and hot water. Landlords that can't afford it can apply for aid.
Shaun Pappas, attorney specializing in the representation of developers, lenders and investors, believes this new proposal will likely pass. “The city thinks that internet is an essential service for everyone, and it’s in their interest to serve underprivileged residents and give them whatever they need to live their basic lives,” he said. “Internet is definitely part of that. They’ll probably provide a basic plan, but you’ll have to pay to upgrade to a higher speed,” he says.
Tara King-Brown, a real estate broker with the Corcoran Group, says if the bill doesn't get passed, landlords who do offer the service will attract more residents. “They will attract more buyers and renters and can build its cost into the monthly rental or maintenance fees,” she says. “Internet today goes beyond being an amenity. It’s the great equalizer that every New Yorker needs and deserves.”
A law requiring free internet for every apartment in New York City? If some city officials have their way, it will be a reality sooner rather than later. Council member Ben Kallos proposed a new bill on Thursday that would require landlords who own buildings with ten or more units to provide tenants with internet or “its functional equivalent,” as the proposal stated. “Such dwellings would be subject to additional technical requirements,” the bill reads, “including the installation of Ethernet ports and wiring to facilitate internet access. Violations would be punished under the Housing Maintenance Code.”
The news site Patch reported that Kallos wanted the bill passed to help underprivileged New Yorkers—there are around 500,000 of them who don’t have internet access. Living without it means that applying for food benefits, working remotely, and even reserving COVID-19 vaccine appointments is a challenge, to say the least.
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Council Member Ben Kallos made appearances at the mock anniversary and gave remarks. Brewer recently penned a letter to the Department of Buildings to apply pressure on Weinreb Management to take down the scaffolding, and Kallos has authored legislation not yet passed that would stop landlords from keeping scaffolding up for extended periods.
"We were livid. And we still are," one resident of 51 West 86th Street told Patch on the condition of anonymity. "The disregard for the concerns of tenants and for the city laws concerning facade inspections and repairs is staggering."
A new bill proposed Thursday by Council Member Ben Kallos would require all existing apartments to offer free broadband internet access within three years. Newly constructed apartments would also have to be wired for broadband under the bill.
Kallos said the bill will help close a "digital divide" among New Yorkers — 500,000 of whom don't have internet access and struggle to apply for food benefits, work remotely, do homework or book COVID-19 vaccine appointments. He said the internet should be considered a utility.
"I can't make internet a utility, only the FCC can, but I can make it required in everyone's apartment just like heat, electricity, hot water and phone service," he said.
The coronavirus pandemic put the internet's necessity into stark relief.
Find out what's happening in New York City with free, real-time updates from Patch.
The Coalition to Stop the Tower includes numerous neighborhood and preservation groups like Civitas NYC. In addition to Kallos, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney has joined the opposition.
In an interview with THE CITY last week, Kallos, who is term-limited and leaves the Council at the end of the year, said the Blood Center has rejected a series of options he had suggested. He contends what the zoning deal would give the Center, in essence, amounts to a large subsidy he disparaged as “minting money.”
He defended his stance, noting he does not accept campaign contributions from real estate interests.
New York, NY—Thanks to Councilman Ben Kallos’ (D-5) office, the NYPD’s 17th Precinct now has a state-of-the-art mobile command center that will be parked at East 47th Street and 1st Avenue.
Kallos joined the 17th Precinct’s brass this morning for a ribbon cutting to officially launch the deployment of the new $500,000 mobile command center that will be used for large-scale events such as the United Nations General Assembly, street festivals and parades.
Kicking off the speaking portion of the event, the 17th Precinct’s Commanding Officer, Captain Aaron C. Edwards, thanked Kallos and his office for the funds to purchase a critical asset for policing in the community.
“This vehicle is going to serve as our mobile workstation at large scale events, it's equipped with computer equipment, secure Internet, surveillance cameras, and it allows us to really work outside the precinct seamlessly, and so this is a tool that we really need. [We] really appreciate this from the constituents, from [Kallos’s} office—this just keeps us going into 2022 and beyond with the technology. I just want to thank you again for this. This is a wonderful gift, and we are going to use it,” said Edwards.
Kallos followed Edwards, and he noted that the city currently has incredible challenges fighting crime.
“If you paid attention during the June election or if you are paying attention to the November election, it is something that residents are particularly concerned about. And as we fight crime, we need to have modern tools, and also helps to have a good relationship and listen to the experts,” said Kallos.
MIDTOWN EAST, NY – An East Side police precinct cut the ribbon Wednesday on a new, state-of-the-art mobile command center, replacing the beaten-up van that the cops had formerly relied on.
The 17th Precinct, which patrols much of Midtown East between East 30th and 59th Streets, purchased the enormous vehicle thanks to a $500,000 allocation from City Councilmember Ben Kallos.
In a ceremony Wednesday morning, Kallos said he secured the funding for the 2019 city budget after the precinct's former commanding officer complained about their former command center: a run-down contraption that Kallos called "basically an over-glorified Winnebago, with chairs and not much else."
"My hope is that it will offer folks the tools they need for modern policing, to keep all of us safe," Kallos said, pointing to the 17th Precinct's recent responsibilities during the high-security UN General Assembly.
Council Member Ben Kallos, who represents the Upper East Side, was also concerned by the fact that the nonprofit did not initially disclose that the 334-foot tower would include a Biosafety Level 3 Lab for studying agents that can cause serious, or even lethal, infections, The New York Post reported.
“The Blood Center’s expansion plans have been opposed by every local elected official as well as thousands of residents in the community for more than a decade,” a spokesperson for Kallos told CO. “The environmental impacts of this proposed development cannot be mitigated, from shadows on the park and the Julia Richman Education Complex to the creation of new loopholes and the fact that the proposal would include the displacement of thousands of people from 500 apartments.”
The commission’s 8-2 vote Wednesday would allow the Blood Center to tear down its East 67th Street building and replace it with a 334-foot tower that opponents say rivals the footprint of the Empire State Building and would cast shadows on a school and park. Most of the tower would be rented out as a “life sciences center.”
City Councilman Ben Kallos (D-Manhattan) introduced legislation Thursday to legalize so-called “flex apartments,” where temporary walls are installed. This longtime, unlawful Big Apple practice has historically provided greedy landlords with additional rooms to rent and enterprising tenants with extra privacy to attract roommates to help cover rent.
Under city law, it’s illegal to install temporary walls or other floor-to-ceiling dividers unless proposed changes are submitted to the city by a licensed engineer or architect and then greenlighted through a Buildings Department permit.
Before opening day, Department of Education and City Hall flacks assured The Post that the city didn’t face a driver shortage. Oops. Nor has the DOE rolled out its long-promised bus-tracking app.
“Parents are worried enough about the Delta variant; they shouldn’t have worry about where their children are” aboard a city school bus, says Manhattan Councilman Ben Kallos, who wrote the law mandating the GPS-tracking system. He also says the tech for the app is stuck sitting on a shelf at the DOE’s HQ.
Meanwhile, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli says the mayor is leaving a ticking DOE fiscal time bomb for his successor: New initiatives launched with federal assistance will impose costs of $1 billion a year by 2025, as the grants run out.
When Patch stopped by on Tuesday, four gas-powered cars were occupying the spots, joined by a single electric car: a Tesla SUV. But that Tesla, the neighbor said, has hogged one of the power cords for at least two straight days — far longer than its necessary charging time, and raising its own enforcement issues.
Reached for comment, City Councilmember Ben Kallos suggested that the NYPD may need to begin issuing fines to drivers who disobey the rules.
"As a City, we need to ingrain the concept that charging stations must be respected and that they are not just parking spots for any car," Kallos said in a statement. "I plan to work with the NYPD and the Department of Transportation to get this fixed asap."