New York – Mayor Bloomberg Writes Gov. Paterson In Opposition To Loft Law

New York – Mayor Bloomberg is pressing Gov. Paterson to block renewal of The Loft Law, which was sponsored in the Assembly by Housing Chairman Vito Lopez, and both houses of the state Legislature have already approved.

The law was first enacted in 1982 to shield artists illegally living in industrial spaces.

But Bloomberg writes, that the law has both public safety and economic development impacts.

“While the bill laudably attempts to address the fact of residential encroachment into current and former industrial zones, it fails to create a minimum standard for safety below which illegal conversions should not, in any circumstances, be sanctioned. Basic safety, quality-of-life and environmental compatibility will not be assured. No additional buildings should be granted the protections of the Loft Law unless they do not involve incompatible manufacturing or industrial uses, have operable wet sprinklers, and provide at least one direct egress and a window in each covered unit. As written, this bill would hurt our economy by driving manufacturers out of New York City, reducing the number of good-paying jobs available to New Yorkers at precisely the time we need them the most.”