Grill of the city
Photo courtesy of GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc.
Victoria Whelan
vice president
GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc.
Developing projects with “green spaces in an already tight New York” is a focal point along with “finding the right building materials that align with sustainability goals, such as locally sourced materials,” says Whelan . Opportunities for energy work such as solar, battery storage and utility upgrades are ripe “as the trend toward electrification of buildings and transportation accelerates,” he adds.
The City of Yes initiative for carbon neutrality, economic improvement and housing eases restrictive building requirements such as “mandatory minimum parking spaces to allow plans to include more housing”, it says.
While “the housing process has been slow going through New York City agencies,” Whelan says he’s seen an increase in plans to develop affordable and market-rate housing. She expects the market “will be strong” thanks to increased state incentives for sustainable energy and green energy for housing, new zoning incentives and lower interest rates that will “help developers build better, greener and more sustainable buildings sooner.”
