What a stop on non-essential construction would mean for Westchester

Sprawling development across Westchester's busiest cities will likely come to a crawl after Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that all non-essential construction will be halted to curb the spread of coronavirus.

All construction work was originally allowed by Cuomo, but the governor changed course Friday in hopes of slowing the outbreak of the coronavirus.

“We’re closing down nonessential construction sites," Cuomo said Friday. "Some construction is essential to keep the place running, but nonessential construction is going to be stopped."

As news of the construction halt set in, some mayors in Westchester cities, union officials and construction workers embraced the changes. Some expressed concern as to how the measure would be implemented.

Thomas Carey, president of the Westchester-Putnam Central Labor Body, said some union workers fear for their health on job sites while others are afraid they’ll be out of work. He estimates half of his union’s workforce could be unemployed as a result of the order.

“It’s very scary, people need to keep their jobs but at the same token your safety is paramount,” Carey said.

Projects focused on infrastructure, health care, affordable housing and homeless shelters can continue though workers need to maintain six feet of distance between each other.

Emergency construction projects deemed "necessary to protect health and safety of the occupants" or a project that would be unsafe if left undone will not be impacted.

Originally, all construction was exempt from Cuomo's New York on PAUSE order, which took effect Sunday and required all non-essential businesses to close or require their workforce to work remotely.

That changed Friday, when Empire State Development — the state's economic-development branch — issued new guidance, saying only essential construction projects would be allowed to proceed while Cuomo's order remains in effect, the USA TODAY Network reported.

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For projects that continue, Carey said the union will advocate to ensure workers are given proper protective gear and have access to hand washing stations or hand sanitizer.

The city of Yonkers is seeing a development boom. In the city of nearly 200,000 residents, over 5,000 residential units have been completed, and more under construction or approved for development.

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano believes that halt in construction will have an impact on the already ravaged economy but that it is necessary to curb the virus.

“While a pause in construction will only add to the tremendous economic impact that this crisis is causing, we support the Governor and the State’s health authorities as to what is needed to preserve lives and flatten the curve,” Spano said. “The sooner that happens, hopefully, the sooner construction can get started again.”

Essential construction includes roads, bridges, transit facilities, utilities, hospitals or health care facilities, affordable housing, and homeless shelters.

Construction sites will have to maintain social distancing. Sites that cannot maintain distance and safety best practices must close, according to a press release.

Enforcement of the mandate will be provided by the state with the help of the local government. This will include fines of up to $10,000 per violation.

White Plains Mayor Thomas Roach said Friday he’s in agreement with the governor’s order and that city officials have already started visiting construction sites.

“We have to do what we have to do to keep people safe,” Roach said. “We’ve been working night and day to do that, … so this is just another phase in that response.”

Even if projects such as the White Plains Hospital are deemed essential, Roach said that there might be a slowdown because of a lack of supplies and the fact that construction workers will still have to adhere to social distancing.

Turner Construction is building the expansion, which began last year.

Once the halt is over, Roach said he expects to see the city’s federal representative fight to bring funds to the city, particularly for the White Plains Hospital.

“We got a lot of projects built, and we have a lot of projects that are in the ground,” Roach said of development in the city.

"And so our anticipation is that when this is over it’ll move forward,” he added.

In the midst of downtown revitalization, New Rochelle has several projects that fall under the infrastructure or affordable housing exemptions that will continue, a city spokeswoman said.

City Councilmembers Ivar Hyden and Albert Tarantino said while the governor’s order could slow progress in the city, public health is more important.

“Let’s hope that it’s not a long period of time,” Tarantino said. “But it’s something that I think is necessary at this point in time.”

"There will be an end to this (pandemic) and at that point I'm sure things will come roaring back," Hyden said.

Good news for infrastructure unions

John Cooney Jr., the executive director of the Construction Industry Council of Westchester said designating infrastructure and vendors and suppliers to infrastructure as essential businesses was welcomed by him and his members.

“There will be a slowdown to the general contractor, subcontractors, suppliers equipment vendors, to private, residential and commercial construction,” Cooney said. “There's a recognition that [infrastructure] is a component of the economy and the maintenance and construction of infrastructure is vital, it supports our daily lives. Those projects are continuing to move forward and the industry is extremely appreciative of the fact.”

Katrine Beck of law firm Fullerton Beck in White Plains said small businesses are going to be hurting during this time regardless of industry. But for real estate and construction, new guidance on a day-to-day basis is affecting the industry’s ability to comply with state regulation.

“It’s no easy time for big corporations or small companies,” she said. “Business partners need to have discussions and engage in what they need to do to move forward.

"There’s a lot at stake and people want to work.”