NEW YORK—A citywide amendment to environmental regulations that seeks to resolve six main issues was reviewed by the public on Wednesday at the Department of City Planning’s public review meeting.
One of the issues that would be resolved is changing the text so city or private applicants for rezoning—which currently can’t test sites they don’t own to test for contamination—could test before deciding to acquire.
Other problems include being unclear about the Department of Building’s authority over environmental requirements, updating outdated language, and not making sure environmental control technologies are monitored—vapor barriers, for instance, which can easily degenerate over time if they get wet—once a building is occupied.
Fixing the issues “would result in a more predictable and streamline land use and environmental review process,” states a DCP Web page, “benefiting land use practitioners, property owners, the public, and city agencies.”
Environmental designations provide notice of an environmental requirement regarding potential hazardous material contamination, or noise, or air quality, according to the DCP website. They can be placed on property because of environmental conditions like being located close to a gas station, in a manufacturing district, or on a busy street.
The designation prevents new construction until appropriate testing and, if needed, remediation takes place.
The next steps for the text amendment to Section 11–15 and related sections are a vote by the City Planning Commission, and, finally, the City Council vote.
