FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JULY 25, 2019 • THE QUEENS COURIER 23
Queens lawmakers get extension for Breezy Point work permits
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Some Breezy Point homeowners are
breathing a sigh of relief aft er Governor
Andrew Cuomo signed legislation that
authorizes an additional two-year extension
to Chapter 100 of the Laws of 2013.
The measures, introduced by
state Senator Joseph Addabbo and
Assemblywoman Stacey Pheff er-Amato,
provide exemptions directed at Breezy
Point work permits for resiliency and
recovery in the aft ermath of Superstorm
Sandy.
“Th ousands of residents have been subjected
to delays under Rapid Repair, Build
it Back and other programs at the city
level, creating an urgency for us to provide
residents with at least two more
years to rebuild with relief from red tape,”
Addabbo said. “I am confi dent that Breezy
Point neighborhoods will now be able to
complete the rebuild process and return
to living in structurally sound homes as
a result of this new law. Th e fact that we
needed to introduce and pass an extender
bill yet again shows the magnitude of the
devastation Sandy brought to our constituents
in Breezy Point.”
Th e devastation of the seaside bungalow
community was seen around the world
when Sandy crashed into the Rockaway
Peninsula in October 2012. What wasn’t
destroyed by the storm surge was lost to
a massive fi re which destroyed more than
150 homes and businesses.
“Nearly seven years aft er Sandy made
landfall, many Breezy Point constituents
are still trying tirelessly to rebuild their
lives and their homes in the community
they love,” Addabbo said. “While
the storm wreaked havoc throughout my
Senate district and elsewhere, this neighborhood
was devastated beyond imagination.”
Pheff er-Amato said the law would make
a huge diff erence for Breezy Point families,
seniors, laborers and the overall community.
“With the passage of this bill extension,
we are helping the people of Breezy Point
to continue to go forward and succeed in
the aft ermath of Hurricane Sandy, and to
spare them the frustration and expense of
reinventing the wheel when it comes to
dealing with city bureaucracy,” Pheff er-
Amato said. “I appreciate my colleagues
in both houses for understanding that my
neighbors deserve to live in structurally
sound homes and that they deserve every
chance to rebuild.”
Courtesy of Sullivan & Galleshaw, LLP
Th e law takes eff ect immediately and
extends to July 3, 2021.
“With the approval of Chapter 83, we
are ensuring the people of Breezy Point
can continue to move forward and succeed
in the aft ermath of Hurricane Sandy
while sparing them additional frustration
and expense in dealing with city bureaucracy,”
Addabbo said.
Queens lawmakers celebrate expansion of co-op and condo tax program
BY JACOB KAYE
More co-op and condo owners will now
have the opportunity to join a previously
expired tax abatement program, thanks to
a bill signed into law earlier this month by
a Flushing lawmaker in the Senate and a
Bayside lawmaker in the Assembly.
Th e J-51 tax abatement, which helps
co-ops and condos make capital improvements,
now allows for co-ops and condos
with an assessed value of up to $40,000 to
join the program.
Previously, the tax abatement, which
expired on June 30, 2019, was only available
to units with an assessed value of
up to $35,000, a number lawmakers said
didn’t match the increasing cost of living.
Senator Toby Ann Stavisky of Flushing
introduced the bill in the New York
State Senate, and Assemblyman Edward
Braunstien of Bayside introduced the bill
in the New York State Assembly. Aft er
passing in both houses, it was signed into
law by Governor Andrew Cuomo earlier
this month, on July 3, 2019.
“Th is will enable middle-class co-ops
and condos to try to keep maintenance
costs down when repairs and renovations
are necessary,” Stavisky said.
Th e program, enacted 65 years ago, was
created to encourage older rental property
owners to install hot water plumbing.
Over time, co-ops and condos have used
the tax program for roof repairs, electrical
improvements, window replacements,
installing new elevators and other structural
enhancements.
“Th e J-51 program makes it possible for
housing co-ops to maintain and improve
their properties,” said Warren Schreiber,
co-president of the Co-op and Condo
Council. “If not for this program, the
entire fi nancial burden of capital improvements
would fall on the shoulders of middle
income shareholders. Extending the
J-51 program will help aff ordable co-op
housing to remain aff ordable.”
“Over time, as assessments continue to
rise, more and more co-op units have fallen
out of the J-51 program,” Braunstein
said. “Our legislation, signed into law by
Governor Cuomo, extends the J-51 program
and increases the assessed value cap
from $35,000 to $40,000, helping middle
class families aff ord the cost of capital
improvements.
Bob Friedrich, president of Glen Oaks
Village, the largest garden apartment
co-op in New York, celebrated the passing
of the law.
“Th e J-51 tax exemption program is
an important component in helping to
keep our aff ordable housing stock in good
condition for its working-class residents,”
Friedrich said.
Photo via Getty Images
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
