Queens homeowners will save thousands of dollars under legislation recently passed by the City Council and first introduced by Councilman Daniel Dromm.
The bill will extend the gas line inspection and certification deadline set by Local Law 152 of 2016 to June 30, 2021, and give a much-needed reprieve to thousands of Queens property owners in Community Districts 1, 3 and 10 which are still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Intro 2151-B will also require the city’s Department of Buildings to conduct thorough outreach to the public, and solicit public comments related to Local Law 152.
“Intro 2151-B spares thousands of Queens homeowners from having to scramble to comply with Local Law 152, with its looming Dec. 31, 2020, deadline,” Dromm said. “It would be difficult to expect our constituents to bring inspectors into their homes in the middle of a pandemic or face thousands of dollars in fines.”
The goals of Local Law 152 are laudable: to ensure that gas lines in buildings throughout the city are sound. However, the initial deadline, set well before anyone could foresee the pandemic, is not practicable at this point.
“As a responsible policymaker, I am simply interested in ensuring compliance with any legislation that is passed and enacted. When circumstances change and call for reassessment, we have to respond,” Dromm said. “I want to thank NYC Council Housing and Buildings Chair Robert Cornegy for working alongside me on this important effort. I also want to thank my constituents for bringing this issue to my attention. You initiated the legislative process that culminated in [this] vote. Even during this challenging time, democracy is alive and well at the NYC Council.”
