News
SPINOLA ADDRESSES YM/WREA
March 11, 2009
| We were on hand yesterday morning as Mayor Bloomberg, appropriately donning a green tie, kicked off BOMA/NY's Energy Action Day at the New York Hilton. Seminars focused on greening and your bottom line, and included a luncheon keynote by Port Authority exec director Christopher Ward. |
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| Even in these times, it's important to keep making investments for the future, including energy, Mayor Mike said. He praised BOMA for its building and operating standards, and said every business should worry about the cost of energy. |
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| Mayor Mike with BOMA/NY president Angelo Grima of Grubb & Ellis Management Services. Buildings account for 80% of NYC's carbon emissions, releasing more that the entire country of Portugal, he says. PlaNYC 2030 will slash building carbon output by 30% by '30;city-owned buildings will have to reach that goal by '17. NYC is spending over $100M to achieve this and is working with the USGBC to make building codes greener. |
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| FirstService Williams' James Witos and Myles Schwartz with speaker Jay Raphaelson of EnergyWatch. James and Myles tell us Williams is working to be more involved in green initiatives; one of its best-known repositionings is the LEED-Gold Argonaut Building on W. 57th and Broadway. Jay spoke on the benefits of purchasing renewable energy credits. |
| SPINOLA ADDRESSES YM/WREA |
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| Afterwards, we dropped by the University Club for the Young Men's/ Women's Real Estate Association's monthly luncheon, keynoted by REBNY president Steve Spinola. He said we should be concerned that real estate taxes will potentially generate three times more than income tax in '10. Other local initiatives, such as increased taxes on capital improvements and luxury goods, could also affect the industry. |
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| Steve with YM/WREA's board: (standing) The Feil Org.'s Brian Feil; Newmark Knight Frank's Robin Fisher; C&W's Marc Packman; The Durst Org.'s Helena Durst; C&W's Glenn Tolchin; (seated) The Winter Org.'s Robert Fink; and Vornado's Glen Weiss. REBNY has formed committees to deal with the economic situation and make NYC ready for recovery opportunities, he says. Other focuses: NYC leasing and retail campaigns; broadening REAP eligibility; restoring the 421g exemption citywide; creating more tax-free shopping weeks; and establishing liaisons for small business. |
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| Tishman Speyer's Heather Kahn, Samantha Augarten, and Sunny Choi. Heather is heading off to Jordan this summer for a friend's wedding at an old ruin and to visit some of the country's historic sites. Bring us back a souvenir! |
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| Cushman & Wakefield's Ethan Silverstein, Andrew Ackerman, and David Green flank Centric Real Estate Advisors' Lindsay Ornstein, who tells us she's due in seven weeks. No word on whether it's a boy or girl, as she wants to be surprised. Her other young daughter is already taking after mom, saying she has "numbers to run." |
