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Policy Pro: Ballot measures kick building code reform down the road

Plus other news at the intersection of policy and real estate

Caroline Spivack

Jul 21, 2026

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Hello, let’s get into today’s news at the intersection of policy and real estate:

A key proposal to streamline updates to the city’s construction code was left out of a package of proposed ballot measures quietly released Monday night.
New York state’s housing market reached a record median sales price in June, alongside a continued climb in inventory.
A Bronx Assembly member is calling for a probe into outages of a brand new transmission line meant to shore up New York City’s power grid.

In this edition we mention: Department of Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani, New York Building Congress President and CEO Carlo Scissura, New York State Association of Realtors President Ron Garafalo, Assembly member Landon Dais and others.

We Heard

Future fight: After months of deliberations, the Commission on Government Efficiency, or COGE, quietly published its proposed charter amendments late Monday. One proposal would amend the city charter to consolidate 40 approvals now spread across 18 city offices into a single hub, centralize waterfront permitting at the Department of Buildings and expand the pool of DOB staff authorized to issue certificates of occupancy, easing a bottleneck. But one key reform didn’t make the cut: an overhaul of the city’s sluggish process to update the construction code. The omission comes despite broad industry recognition that the city’s process to modernize its building code is overdue for an overhaul. The regulatory process for the 2022 construction code, for example, stretched more than seven years before the changes took effect. At a commission hearing earlier this month, DOB Commissioner Ahmed Tigani endorsed a faster path for updating the code, arguing that the current approach leaves New York “consistently lagging behind peer cities on adopting more modern standards, including safety enhancements.” The commission, however, declined to advance a proposal on the issue. City Hall did not say why, but noted that the commissioners believe the idea warrants future consideration. New York Building Congress President and CEO Carlo Scissura, who has served on three charter revision commissions, said he was disappointed changes to the process didn’t make the cut but that he sees it as a matter of timing. “What I have learned being on three charter commissions is that oftentimes you can’t get to everything; there’s a lot,” said Scissura. He pointed to the construction permitting hub proposal as an idea that surfaced during previous commissions before gaining traction this year. “I think it’s a good first step,” Scissura added. “An issue like this can be taken up by the next commission.” DOB spokesperson Andrew Rudansky stressed that the agency is pleased with the proposed amendments. “These reforms would make it easier to get projects moving while maintaining strong oversight,” he said, “sending a clear message to the development community that there is no better place in the world to build than New York City.”

By the numbers: New York’s housing market hit a milestone in June as the statewide median sales price climbed to the record high of $475,000 (up 8 percent year over year), according to data from The New York State Association of Realtors. Housing inventory also continued its steady climb — for the 16th consecutive month — with the number of homes available for sale rising to 32,508 homes this June (up 4 percent from the same time last year). NYSAR president and broker Ron Garafalo attributed the steady rise in inventory to hesitant sellers gradually deciding to jump into the market as interest rates are holding relatively steady, albeit at elevated levels. “There’s still very solid activity on the buy side, but it’s not as extreme as it was two or three years ago,” said Garafalo. Closed sales edged up just shy of 1 percent to 9,286, but pending sales increased 8 percent, to 11,591 units under contract. “It’s a strong summer,” said Garofalo. He said he’s hopeful that the federal 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which became law earlier this month, will eventually spur local reforms to loosen zoning and land use rules that slow development. “The market that I work in, Orange County, New York, I see what builders have to go through to get a project approved,” said Garafalo. “Even just a 15-lot subdivision can take years and years and cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars before they even start, so anything that can improve on that would be a definite benefit.”
Grid glitch: Bronx Assembly member Landon Dais is calling for a hearing on repeated outages of the $6 billion Champlain Hudson Power Express project, a key transmission line meant to strengthen New York City’s grid as it faces growing demand year-round, including from building electrification. Dais urged Assembly Energy Committee Chair Didi Barrett to investigate in a Monday letter reviewed by The Real Deal. “New Yorkers deserve to understand what caused this disruption, how it is being addressed, and whether the financial consequences are being borne by investors and project sponsors rather than ratepayers,” Dais wrote. The 339-mile transmission line, which carries Canadian hydroelectricity to the five boroughs, went offline earlier this month after a converter station failed in Quebec, just as the city braced for a heat wave. It briefly returned to service before another outage, this time tied to a cable issue. The New York Independent System Operator, which oversees the state’s electric grid, said it expects the line to remain offline through at least July. Dias wants the energy committee to hold hearings in the fall on the cause of the outage and its impact on grid reliability.

Have a tip or feedback? Reach me at caroline.spivack@therealdeal.com.

The Catch-Up

My colleague Ben Miller takes a closer look at the city’s newly adopted pied-à-terre tax rules.

A corporate entity co-founded by Bruce Menin, a real estate developer and the husband of City Council Speaker Julie Menin, owes the city more than $246,000 in back taxes, reports Politico.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is eyeing a government veteran to become New York City’s next economic development leader, reports The New York Times.

The Kicker
“What it says is counter to any economic reality that the United States of America lives by,” said Zachary Rothken, a landlord lawyer at Rosenberg & Estis, on a city pilot program that seeks to grant tenants equity stakes in their buildings.