BILL NUMBER: S6409A
SPONSOR: LIU
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the real property tax law, in relation to raising the
tax abatement rate and extending certain deadlines for purposes of
the green roof tax abatement for certain properties in a city of one
million or more persons
 
PURPOSE:
This bill extends the tax abatement program for green roofs and removes
some of the restrictions have been a barrier to participation in the
program
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one amends section 499-aaa of the real property tax law to
remove the "at least 50%" requirement, lower the depth of soil require-
ment to 1.5 inches, and remove the controlled roof drain requirement.
Section two amends section 499-bbb of the real property tax law to
extend the sunset date of the program from 6/30/2024 to 6/30/2027, raise
the baseline abatement rate to $10 per square foot, remove the depth of
soil requirements for the specifically designated NYC districts, raise
the total aggregate program cap to $4 million, and set its allocation to
be on a first-comefirst-serve basis.
Section three amends the real property tax law to extend the application
date from 3/15/2023 to 3/15/2026 and remove eligible rooftop space as a
certification consideration
Section four sets forth the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Green roofs provide multiple important benefits for municipalities.
They can help address flash flooding and sewage overflow by retaining
stormwater runoff. This is especially important now due to the increas-
ing frequency of severe weather events such as Hurricane Sandy, Isaias,
and Ida. They help improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
mitigate the urban heat island effect, and increase biodiversity. These
effects provide a significant benefit to the city, easing the strain on
the city's storm-water and sewage systems, lowering energy demand and
enhancing quality of life.
This bill would extend the Green Roof Tax abatement program, increases
its incentives, and removes some of the restrictions which have
prevented a more widespread adoption of green roofs. This bill would
allow a greater variety of green roofs to be built including Bio-solar
green roofs, allowing NYC to take advantage of the multiple benefits
that green roofs would provide.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
05/22 RECOMMIT TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT:
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to the state
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

Statutes affected:
S6409: 499-bbb real property tax law, 499-bbb(1) real property tax law
S6409A: 499-aaa real property tax law, 499-aaa(10) real property tax law, 499-bbb real property tax law, 499-bbb(1) real property tax law