BOMA Westchester president Scott Tangredi (SL Green); BOMA NY executive director Bobbi McGowan;
BOMA Buffalo director Zach Melas (Ciminelli RE Corp.); BOMA NY chair & CEO Hani Salama (Capital Properties);
Lina Gottesman (Altus Metal & Marble); Migena Agaraj (Able Services); and Dennis Giblin (Able Services)
The strength of BOMA New York is hinged on multiple collaborative relationships the Association has within both the private and public sectors. With committees focused on every aspect of the CRE industry, we are at the forefront of new and effective PropTech solutions, as well as at the table with elected officials to position the commercial built environment throughout New York City for success.
In the beginning of February, many BOMA New York members visited Washington, D.C. for the BOMA International Winter Business Meeting & National Issues Conference. We met with staff from senators Schumer and Gillibrand, as well as staff from congressmembers Maloney and Clarke to advocate for several tax- and energy-related pieces of legislation that are top priorities for BOMA International. Topics included the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2019; the Commercial Buildings Energy Efficiency Tax Deduction, commonly referred to as 179D; and Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017. We also took the opportunity to start a conversation with these Congressional staffers about LL97, which is the NYC’s buildings emissions reductions law.
Locally, at the February BOMA New York Board of Directors meeting, the Department of Transportation commissioner Polly Trottenberg presented. Trottenberg reviewed the largess of DOT, which includes the management of 6,000 miles of streets, 12,000 miles of sidewalk, 784 bridges, 24/7 S.I. Ferry service and 1,300 miles of bike paths. She stressed the mission of the department, “Making our transportation system greener, smarter, safer, and more equitable while accommodating the city’s growth.”
The commissioner and her staff are at the beginning phase of a 10-year $18.1 billion master plan to include–and not limited to–the following benchmarks:
• Install 150 miles of physically or camera-protected bus lanes;
• Create transit signal priority at 750 intersections during the first year and 1,000 intersections during each subsequent year;
• Develop 250 miles of protected bike lanes
• Upgrade 500 bus stops per year; and
• Repurpose/create one million s/f of pedestrian space.
Cindy Boyea (Paramount Group and BOMA/NY treasurer); Andrew Chown (Ashokan Water);
Rick Lefever (Façade MD Architecture and Engineering); and Tara Hochhauser (Diaz Architects)
The active Q&A session included conversations about commercial curb space, sanitation and adoption of future technology. The commissioner recognized how important commercial building owners and managers are to the fabric of NYC and said that it’s essential for us to keep an open dialogue as we work together to achieve DOT’s projections and goals. We hope to welcome the DOT commissioner back to address all BOMA NY members later this year.
On March 12th, BOMA New York will host its first PropTech Summit at the Maxwell Hotel. This event is where the largest and brightest CRE owners and managers in NYC will gather to embrace innovation and learn more about new efficiencies to better manage commercial properties. As a value-add to your day, the PropTech Summit will be an afternoon event (2PM – 7PM) with a packed agenda that will include engaging speakers, over 40 presenting PropTech companies, light food and an open bar. For more information and to register for the PropTech Summit, please email Becky Perez at [email protected].
Hani Salama, P.E., LEED AP is with Capital Properties, and is BOMA NY chair & CEO, New York, N.Y.
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