The New York City Council - File #: Int 0737-2018

• File #: Int 0737-2018
• Version: A
• Name: Creating a small business lease program for establishing an environment for fair negotiations in the commercial lease renewal process in order to determine reasonable lease terms.
• Type: Introduction
• Status: Committee
• File created: 3/22/2018
• In control: Committee on Small Business
• On agenda: 3/22/2018
• Title: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to creating a small business lease program for establishing an environment for fair negotiations in the commercial lease renewal process in order to determine reasonable lease terms
• Sponsors: Ydanis A. Rodriguez, Rafael L. Espinal, Jr., Margaret S. Chin, Carlina Rivera , Costa G. Constantinides, Helen K. Rosenthal, Antonio Reynoso, Carlos Menchaca, Diana Ayala , James G. Van Bramer, Mark Levine, Stephen T. Levin, Laurie A. Cumbo, Ben Kallos, Robert F. Holden

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
3/22/2018	*	City Council	Referred to Comm by Council
3/22/2018	*	City Council	Introduced by Council

Proposed Int. No. 737-A

By Council Members Rodriguez, Espinal, Chin, Rivera, Constantinides, Rosenthal, Reynoso, Menchaca, Ayala, Van Bramer, Levine, Levin, Cumbo, Kallos and Holden

Title
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to creating a small business lease program for establishing an environment for fair negotiations in the commercial lease renewal process in order to determine reasonable lease terms
Body

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Legislative findings and intent. The Council hereby finds that the City's small business sector remains vulnerable at a time when New York City is more dependent than ever on small businesses for job growth and revenues. The New York City commercial rental market has been negatively influenced by speculators for such an extended period of time that the interest of small businesses and job creation, and the broader general economic interest of the City, are being harmed. An unacceptable number of established small businesses are being forced out of business solely as a result of the commercial lease renewal process. The present commercial rental market provides no means for tenants to mediate disputes between tenants and landlords to arrive at fair and reasonable lease renewal terms. The absence of legal protection for the interests of commercial tenants in the lease renewal process has unnecessarily accelerated the closing of small businesses and resulted in lost jobs, tax revenues and community instability. It is the intent of the City Council, through this legislation, to be known as the "Small Business Jobs Survival Act," to give small businesses rights in the commercial lease renewal process, and therefore, a measure of predictability of future costs through a two-step procedure of mediation and, if necessary, arbitration for negotiating commercial lease renewals and rentals. This process would create a fair negotiating environment, which would resul...