New Sprinkler Law Catastrophic For Brownstones, Brooklynites Say

BROOKLYN, NY — Brooklynites and homeowners across the five boroughs are fighting a proposed sprinkler law that they say would be "catastrophic" for classic New York City row houses and brownstones.

The new law, which faced its first City Council hearing on Wednesday, would require owners of residential buildings more than 40 feet tall, or about four stories, to install automatic sprinkler systems within the next decade. It is part of a package of fire-safety bills prompted by deadly fires.

But many say the new rule would leave small property owners with "astronomical" costs and construction challenges, potentially devastating neighborhoods where small multi-family buildings are the norm.

"This law will have a catastrophic impact on lower-density neighborhoods where owner-occupied multi-family buildings are common," Bed Stuy’s 200 Jefferson Avenue Block Association wrote in a petition against the law, which has gained more than 1,000 signatures in two days.

The block association is among several housing organizations that spoke out against the rule this week, including the city's own Department of Buildings.

DOB Commissioner Melanie La Rocca told City Council members on Wednesday that the department believes the law would have similar unintended consequences as a 2004 rule that required office buildings to install sprinklers.

Fifteen years later, only about half of the 1,000 or so buildings were able to comply. The residential sprinkler rule would apply to 85,000 buildings across New York City.

"We are far too familiar with the challenges a requirement like this poses for existing buildings," La Rocca said.

As with the office buildings, La Rocca said residential building owners would face challenges with costs, the need to displace tenants during construction and finding a way for the water system to accommodate the sprinklers.

The sprinkler systems would typically come with a six-figure price tag, experts said Wednesday.

Some said at the very least the city should provide capital funding for property owners who are asked to install the new systems.

But aside from the cost, owners said the rule would mean difficult or even impossible construction challenges given the age of many New York City homes.

"Even if you gave me the money to do it, we still wouldn't be able to do it," said Christopher Athineos, who owns a 19th-century building in Brooklyn. "You might as well knock a building down and build a new building."

Homeowners have recommended making the law only applicable to high-rise buildings, like the Trump Tower building that prompted the rule. In 2018, a deadly fire at Trump Tower prompted a renewed discussion of sprinkler requirements.

Council Member Robert Cornegy Jr., one of two chairs of the hearing Wednesday, asked many of those who spoke against the rule for recommendations of how to revise the bill. The council plans to make amendments to the bills based on the feedback before a vote is taken, he said.

"This is where we listen and make the necessary adjustments to both protect tenants and support homeowners!," Cornegy wrote on Facebook before the hearing. "I will not be voting for a bill that hurts homeowners especially in this climate! Period!"

The hearing was ongoing at the time of publication at 4 p.m.