An architect's take on charter revision in N.Y.C.

On August 11, the Charter Revision Commission announced the seven items it would put forward on the November ballot. The commission has been in existence for less than six months. During that time, they had a tall order: review the current city charter and recommend amendments that New Yorkers should vote on in November. The commission conducted a series of public hearings and met with constituents, including the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter (AIANY). AIANY welcomed the creation of the Charter Revision Commission and organized a task force of members to look at the interaction between architects and government as it relates to the city charter. The areas of greatest concern to architects are those involving the agencies that affect building design and construction in the city of New York. The task force observed that there is a lack of policy consistency and coordination within and across agencies as they relate to the design and construction of buildings. These inconsistencies and the lack of coordination affect a project's viability, inhibit innovation and can mean that years of agency reviews are needed to obtain approvals to begin construction of even the tiniest project. As architects, we are often responsible for seeing building projects through (from the drafting table to ribbon cutting) and, as a result of our legal responsibilities are ultimately responsible for the project's entire existence. For many projects the architect must obtain approvals from multiple city agencies. Making the process more straightforward would not only help everyone in the architecture, engineering and construction industries, but it would also allow the public to realize the benefits of a more efficient system including shorter construction times and enhanced construction safety. Furthermore, this would have a positive impact on the overall real estate community which would see a greater number of projects completed on time and on budget. Our proposed solution was the creation of a "Buildings Commission." This commission would be comprised of city agency commissioners, reporting to a deputy mayor, with the mandate of establishing city-wide design, construction and project coordination policies that would be applicable to all of the agencies within its purview. The process of developing commission policy would be transparent and invite public participation, with the goal of creating a commission that facilitates better, safer and greener building design and construction, delivered in a more efficient and effective way. Such a process, and the resulting regulatory body, would result in more efficient, effective and time-sensitive review and permitting. In addition, the proposed building commission would resolve inter and intra-agency procedural and policy conflicts for architects. While it was disappointing that our building commission proposal was not included on the November ballot due to a need for further in-depth study, we had encouraging conversations and feedback from the commission's executive director. We hope these issues will be taken up by the commission for future ballot consideration and the Charter Review Commission staff will recommend our proposal in its final report. Meanwhile, AIANY is optimistic that it can still make a positive impact through other channels. We are building support from our colleagues in A/E/C and real estate and setting up meetings with commissioners, the new deputy mayor Stephen Goldsmith, and other stakeholders. We are committed to continuing the conversation about how to make New York a more efficient, more productive city. Improving the review process is a heavy lift, but ultimately will benefit everyone. Creating efficiencies throughout city agencies will take the coordinated effort of many New Yorkers. This is a challenge worth taking on. Anthony Schirripa, FAIA, IIDA, is the 2010 president of the N.Y. chapter of the AIA, New York, N.Y.