New York City Adopts Green Building Legislation

City legislators passed a measure requiring major municipal construction projects to meet environmentally friendly standards. Also, the planned redevelopment around Nassau Coliseum attracts four proposals.

Developers Vie for Site Around Nassau Coliseum

Nassau County is expected to pick a developer before the end of the year for the redevelopment of 77 acres around the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which attracted four separate proposals from Long Island-based bidders.

Bidding for the project as of October were: the Engel Burman Group, headquartered in Lynbrook; the Coliseum Redevelopment Group, a partnership between Blumenfeld Development Group of Syosset and the New York Mets baseball franchise; Polimeni International, based in Garden City; and the Lighthouse Development Group, a partnership led by Charles Wang, who owns the New York Islanders franchise of the National Hockey League.

Another Long Island-based developer, Reckson Associates Realty, recently joined forces with Wang's group, which has proposed a $1 billion development around the coliseum known as the Lighthouse Project.

Wang is proposing to renovate and reconstruct the interior of the coliseum, which has long been home to the Islanders, and to construct a sports technology center, conference facility, and residential and retail components. Wang's proposal predated the county's solicitation of proposals, with its details first unveiled last fall.

The standout feature of the site - owned by the county and leased by SMG Corp., which in turn leases the coliseum to Wang - would be the 60-story Lighthouse, a tower that would include a five-star hotel and condominiums. It would be Long Island's tallest building and the world's tallest lighthouse. The plan also proposes a rail link to the Long Island Rail Road's Hempstead station.

Wang has requested $47 million in state funds for renovations to the coliseum. That project still needs approval from the Nassau County legislature and Hempstead Township.

The county was slated to receive final and best offers in November from the four bidders, followed this month by deliberations by the county executive and other officials.

N.Y.C. Mandates Green Municipal Buildings by 2007

Major new construction and renovation projects for municipal facilities in New York City will have to adhere to green standards following the unanimous passage of new legislation by the City Council this fall. Mayor Michael Bloomberg later signed the bill into law.

According to a press release issued by the council, the law will affect $12 billion in construction over the next 10 years, including $5 billion worth of new schools. It would take effect on Jan. 1, 2007.

The law will require most city-funded projects to meet standards "as stringent as" the "certified" level status of the United States Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system. The requirements will include use of environmentally sound materials and methods as well as measures to conserve energy and water.

In addition, projects that cost more than $12 million will have to exceed state energy efficiency standards by 20 percent. Those that cost more than $30 million must be 25 percent more efficient than the state code. Similarly, plumbing projects costing more than $500,000 would have to reduce end water use by 20 to 30 percent from state code-required levels.

The legislation affects all new projects undertaken by city agencies, as well as any projects in which the city pays more than $10 million or 50 percent of the cost. Council Speaker Gifford Miller and council member James Gennaro, who chairs the Environmental Protection Committee, co-sponsored the initiative.

Bridgeport Detention Hall to Start

After 15 years of planning and approvals, a new $54 million juvenile court and detention center is headed for a groundbreaking in Bridgeport, Conn.

In late summer, the state's bond commission approved $17.2 million in funding for the center and the state's public works department signed a contract with Turner Construction to serve as the project's design-builder. The facility is expected to take three years to complete.

The 89,000-sq.-ft. complex will be built on a 4.5-acre site along the Pequonnock River. The project entails $2.3 million in environmental cleanup of the area. When finished, the facility will house up to 88 juveniles, replacing an existing but overcrowded detention center.

The department had selected Turner to build the center last year after it dismissed a contract awarded to TBI Construction of New Britain, citing that company's legal problems and the possibility of additional project delays. Turner's Milford, Conn., office is managing the project.