Quinn tells ABO teamwork is key to future development

Real Estate Weekly,  Oct 17, 2007  by Maggie Hawryluk

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In a city where real estate provides for a major chunk of the annual revenue, Christine C. Quinn, speaker of the New York City Council, goes to great lengths to understand the weight of every piece of proposed real estate-related legislation.

"We're lucky in New York to have real estate doing as well as it is," she said, adding that real estate and Wall Street are two significant contributors to the city's funds. "We are completely dependent on the future health of these industries."

Quinn, the first female speaker of the Council who is a rumored 2009 mayoral candidate, addressed the Associated Builders and Owners of Greater New York, Inc. at its Oct. 11 luncheon at The National Arts Club.

In addition to referring to her goals as speaker--which include creating an agenda that concentrates on "every borough and neighborhood" and making the council an "incubator for bigger ideas" that finds the solution to the root of the problem--Quinn is focusing on "getting things done."

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This means that the Council will not move forward on certain issues until everyone is given the opportunity to speak on the topic. Quinn strongly believes in hearing as many expert and insider opinions as possible so that the Council is making an educated decision.

"The work done on building codes was an example of collaborative government," she said, referring to the Safe Housing Act, which will force delinquent landlords to repair buildings with emergency repairs. "No one in government, no matter how many of us there are, will ever be an expert on everything," she said. "Thank you for being part of that effort, that dialogue."

Quinn said the Council is also making strides in Section 8 housing where they are hearing complaints from both sides of the issue. Two other major issues that are currently pending in the Council are J-51 and 421-a abatement regulations.

Quiun said the Council was planning to make a decision on J-51 closer to the expiration date at the end of this year. 421-a, however, is being hotly debated.

"There was a big wave in the real estate community when 421-a was proposed," she said. "We are trying to balance all interests. One of the big issues from both sides of the table is an issue of assessment. We have to regroup and get together on that."

COPYRIGHT 2007 Hagedorn Publication
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning