City workshop helps Riverdale co-ops plan for Local Law 97 upgrades

What happened

On Oct. 13, city representatives held a workshop at the Whitehall, a luxury co-op at 3333 Henry Hudson Parkway in Riverdale, according to The Riverdale Press. About 20 residents and board members from several buildings attended. The session covered city help for meeting Local Law 97, the 2019 law that sets greenhouse gas emissions limits for most larger buildings.

The workshop, called "Cutting Carbon in Co-ops and Condos," is run by the Mayor's Office of Climate and Environmental Justice with the nonprofit Building Energy Exchange and the Council of New York Cooperatives and Condominiums. It is part of NYC Accelerator, a program launched in April that connects building owners with financing options and vetted contractors. The workshop helps buildings write a long-term decarbonization plan. Chief Climate Officer Louise Yeung said the city heard concerns about changing board members, long project timelines, capital planning and not knowing where to start.

In rental buildings, costly upgrades are usually handled by the landlord. In co-ops, the costs fall on shareholders through higher maintenance or assessments. Building Energy Exchange CEO Richard Yancey said planning, financing and permitting can take years. He said a plan helps boards use "trigger events," like equipment near the end of its life or an upcoming refinancing. Whitehall board president Jeffrey Moerdler said a leaking garage roof under the pool deck led the building to remove cabanas and build a green roof on an almost 30,000-square-foot deck.

Local Law 97 runs in five-year periods with stricter caps each time. The first period is 2024 to 2029, with annual compliance reports starting in 2025, according to the Department of Buildings. DOB data released last month showed City Council District 11 had a 96% compliance rate, 1% above the citywide average.