New York City Reopens Nonessential Construction

New York City launched phase one of its reopening plan this week, including the restart of all construction projects deemed nonessential. City officials estimate this applies to approximately 23,000 construction sites.

The news is long awaited for many construction executives and management teams—since March, the only construction projects allowed to continue on schedule were those deemed essential (health care, infrastructure updates, etc.). 

The city is the last region in the state to reopen construction, with many areas moving on to phase two this week. In order to start phase one of the reopening plan, the city had to hit specific benchmarks, including hospital capacity, hospitalization rates, infection rates, and testing.

The New York City Department of Buildings issued interim guidance for contractors at the end of last week providing rules and best practices for keeping jobsites safe and proper social distancing. 

The first phase also includes allowance of curbside and in-store pickup for retailers and a return to business for the manufacturing, wholesale trade and agriculture sectors.