Upper West Side Co-Op Project Faces Multi-Year Delays Due to Unforeseen Challenges

It started with a noble goal: electrify an Upper West Side post-war co-op to meet Local Law 97 carbon limits. The board was progressive, proactive, and prepared — or so they thought. "They had already spoken to New York City Accelerator and hired an energy consultant," explains Tina Larsson, CEO of the Folson Group, whose firm was brought in as project manager after the board found themselves staring at stacks of reports with no clear path forward. "All of a sudden, they had these stacks of reports and went, 'Now what do we do?'"

Pandora’s Box Revealed

As is often the case in electrification projects, there wasn’t enough capacity at the building for full electrification. In bringing in more electricity, ConEd wanted to put temporary electric lines through the storm drain that goes into the building's vault, ending up at the main electrical box of the building. “The building is 75 years old,” said Larson, and the electrician she brought in had concerns that the storm drain was corroded. That prompted a camera inspection of the 75-year-old storm drain, and it revealed complete corrosion and non-functionality. 

It also prompted discussions with building staff, who reported that they had been working around a clogged storm drain and corroded electrical box for years. "We asked the staff and they said, 'Oh no, that [storm drain] has never worked,'" said Larsson. "They told us they have to take the broom out whenever it's raining to move the water. Similarly, when questioned about corrosion on the electrical box, the superintendent of 20 years simply stated, "it always looked the same."

Replacing the storm drain necessitated bringing in a structural engineer, who discovered potential structural issues with the vault. The project quickly expanded to include storm drain replacement, vault remediation, feeder and electrical main box replacement, enhanced electrical capacity to multiple apartments, and facade alterations for through-wall heat pumps. What began as a straightforward infrastructure project morphed into a series of interconnected challenges that multiplied both the timeline and budget. 

Budgeting for the Unexpected

As the scope of work expanded, so has the cost. What was a planned $2 million electrification project ballooned into something much bigger, with final costs still undetermined.

“We are expecting that it's going to cost twice as much — it’s turned into a multi-year project with a lot of planning,” Larsson says. To get ahead of these budget busting surprises, Larson suggests having a comprehensive inventory of all building systems before starting a major project. "Taking a proactive approach and taking an inventory of all the different systems at the onset of the project will allow you to have a better sense of how much work will be involved," she says. This should include elements that might not be included in your standard reserve study such as storm drains and underground vaults. These "hidden systems" can cause costly delays when discovered mid-project, says Larsson. 

One positive outcome for the Upper West Side co-op is that it now has a comprehensive inventory of building systems—essentially a customized reserve study to inform maintenance planning for decades to come. “Boards very often don't treat their building as a business, and they don't bring in the professionals. This board did. But bringing in professionals who truly understand that there are so many aspects to the same end goal — that is very valuable,” Larsson says. 

The co-op's electrification journey continues, now projected as a three-year undertaking. For boards embarking on similar projects, the lesson is clear: thorough planning, realistic budgeting, and professional coordination can transform inevitable complications from crises into managed challenges.