Co-op and Condo Construction Jobs Might Resume June 8

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday that he expected New York City to meet benchmarks that would allow it to begin reopening on June 8, the New York Times reports.

Under Phase One of reopening, nonessential stores could open for curbside pickup and nonessential construction and manufacturing can resume. The order could have major implications for co-op and condo boards, many of which had to shut down facade and roof projects, lobby renovations and apartment alterations under the ban on nonessential construction. During the shutdown, boards have had to continue paying for sidewalk sheds, scaffolding and other soft costs, a major drain on many budgets.

The city is the only part of the state that has not met all the seven health-related benchmarks the state requires to enter Phase One of reopening. As of Friday morning, it did not have enough hospital beds available or contact tracers in place.

Phase One will not bring a complete reopening of the city's real estate sector. “We anticipate most real estate activities will be included in Phase Two of the reopening guidelines, which means, based on current projections, co-ops and condos will be considered reopened by the third or fourth week of June,” attorney Stewart Wurtzel, partner at Tane Waterman & Wurtzel, tells Habitat. “By then, buildings, as employers, will need to certify that they know their obligations, have a reopening plan, and that there is a structure in place to implement it. Right now is the time for boards to think about what kind of site safety they’re going to do, what kinds of activities they are going to allow and disallow.”

Cuomo also said that five upstate areas were cleared to enter Phase Two of reopening, in which offices, stores and personal-service businesses like barber shops can reopen, with restrictions.

The five regions — Central New York, North Country, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and the Mohawk Valley — cover most of the state except for New York City and its suburbs, the Albany area, the Buffalo area and Long Island.

Statewide, there were an additional 67 deaths from the virus, the lowest one-day figure in over two months, the governor said.