PATERSON'S LOFTY ACCOMPLISHMENT

Late Monday night Governor Paterson signed into law a measure that made the loft law permanent.  

In addition, the new law legalizes the unlawful residential use in loft buildings, primarily occurring in manufacturing districts outside of Manhattan.  The law requires that these buildings, now classified as interim multiple dwellings (IMD), meet the fire safety and other code requirements for legal residential occupancy, and obtain a revised certificate of occupancy that allows residential use in the building. 

In order to receive a building permit, the IMD owner must receive a certification from the Loft Board that it has completed the "Narrative Statement Process" in which the tenant acknowledges that the legalization plans would not unreasonably interfere with the tenant's use of his loft unit. 

As a result of the objections of the Bloomberg Administration 13 of the city's Industrial Business Zones (IBZ) will be excluded from the law.  However, the unlawful residential use in industrial loft buildings in the city's three largest IBZs--Greenpoint-Williamsburg, North Brooklyn and Maspeth--will be legalized and  those owners required to legalize their IMD building for residential occupancy. 

The amendments that the Governor, the Legislature and the Mayor agreed to will be included in a chapter amendment to this law.