I don’t usually struggle to form opinions about real estate policies, but there are good arguments for and against requiring sprinklers in new houses.
The state’s Fire Prevention and Building Code Council is considering the mandate for new one- and two-family homes, which could add $15,000 to $30,000 to the cost of building. The proposal could be on the council’s Feb. 28 meeting agenda, Newsday reported.
Builders oppose the idea. Firefighters support it.
“In our eyes, those sprinklers are like having a fireman in every home,” Michael Uttaro, chief fire marshal for Nassau County, told the publication.
No one questions that sprinklers improve safety and reduce damage. The question is whether it’s worth the cost — and who should make that decision.
After some thought, I rejected the argument that the matter should be left to builders and buyers, as if they were choosing whether to put in quartz or Formica countertops. Sprinklers are not an amenity. They make homes safer not just for the first buyer but also for future residents — and firefighters.
A buyer who custom-builds a home might decide sprinklers are not worth the cost, but that means others must live with that decision. It’s not realistic to say people could just choose to live in homes with sprinklers, because no one shops for homes on that basis.
However, dismissing the “buyer’s choice” argument doesn’t mean that the Code Council should definitely require sprinklers. It still must weigh the pros and cons.
Various codes already ensure new homes are built to minimize fire risk, and very few people are killed in them by fires, so the benefit of adding sprinklers is marginal. But it’s not nothing.
Tacking on, say, $20,000 to a $1 million project is also marginal, but not meaningless. It’s not likely to increase homelessness or other health risks. And buyers will get some of that money back in insurance premium discounts.
“It’s a worthwhile investment,” John D’Alessandro of the Firefighters Association of the State of New York told Newsday. “When it comes down to it, what price for a life?”
Not to be anal, but regulators do have to consider what price a life is worth. That’s part of the job. But I suspect that if the council crunches the numbers on sprinklers, it will decide that D’Alessandro is right.
What we’re thinking about: Do you support or oppose mandating fire sprinklers for new one-family and two-family homes? Send your thoughts to eengquist@therealdeal.com.
A thing we’ve learned: The City Council held a hearing Thursday morning after the potential closure of five child care centers sparked weeks of “public outcry,” according to a Council press release. You might recall that last year, Nadine Oelsner was forced to cancel a Crown Heights project that included a child care center because the City Council refused to support it.
Elsewhere…
Gov. Kathy Hochul seemed to contradict herself in explaining her decision not to remove Mayor Eric Adams from office “at this time.”
First, she said she’d met with lots of people to discuss the matter. Then, referring to the mayoral election, she said, “I cannot deny the power of the great people of this city from making this decision for themselves.” Then she said she would never surrender her power to remove a mayor.
If it must be left to New Yorkers to vote someone out of office, she should not have wasted time gauging how much political support there was for removing Adams. And she should give up her authority to do so.
Obviously, there’s a lot more to this than just letting voters decide. But saying she is deferring to voters is probably the best explanation, or spin, that Hochul could put on it.
Incidentally, Hochul also said Andrew Cuomo’s mayoral prospects had “zero” to do with her decision.
Closing time
Residential: The priciest residential sale Thursday was $41.4 million for unit PHA at 67 Vestry Street. The new Tribeca condo unit is 6,200 square feet. Corcoran’s Sebastian Steinau, Catherine Juracich and Thomas Ventura had the listing.
Commercial: The most expensive commercial closing of the day was $56 million for the 18-story Soho 54 Hotel at 54 Watts Street. Canadian acquisition and development group Manga Hotels purchased it.
New to the Market: The highest price for a residential property hitting the market was $15 million for 163 East 64th Street. The Lenox Hill townhome is 8,000 square feet and five stories. Compass’ Elizabeth Sahlman, Lorand Kovacs, Becca Schreiber and Clay Ezell have the listing.
Breaking Ground: The largest new building application filed was for a 97,780-square-foot, 11-story residential building at 264 Bergen Street in Brooklyn. Hamish Whitefield of Hamish Whitefield Architects is the applicant of record.
— Joseph Jungermann