Rent regulation is not a new issue for New York City. But the headlines in June 2015 were far larger and the reactions more contentious than at any time in recent memory. For the first time in its 46-year history, the Rent Guidelines Board decided that there would be no increase in rents for one-year renewals on rent-stabilized apartments; it also limited increases on two year renewals to two-percent. Not surprisingly, tenants hailed the decision … <Read More>
affordable housing
NYCHA Announces First Infill Locations: Plans to Build 1,000 New Housing Units
Boerum Hill, Upper East Side developments to be developed under NextGeneration Neighborhoods program. On September 10, 2015, the New York City Housing Authority announced that it will launch its NextGeneration Neighborhoods program at its Wyckoff Gardens and Holmes Towers sites, which are located in the Boerum Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn and the Upper East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, respectively. NextGen Neighborhoods, a NextGen NYCHA program, aims to build new residential units—50% affordable and 50% market-rate—on … <Read More>
Weisbrod Discusses the de Blasio Administration’s Affordable Housing Program, Now in Its “Toddler” Stage
At the CityLaw breakfast on August 28, 2015, Carl Weisbrod provided an update on the de Blasio Administration’s housing plan, which Weisbrod described as now in its “toddler” stage. The de Blasio program is the most ambitious of its kind in the country, and the biggest in New York since the Koch Administration. Today, the City is managing the problems of success: continued growth and a shortage of housing. Conversely, in the Koch era, … <Read More>
CPC Approves New Affordable Housing Building in The Bronx
The building will be targeted to low-income and homeless individuals or families. On April 1, 2015 the City Planning Commission voted to approve an application by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development facilitating construction of a new affordable housing building in The Bronx. The building will be located at 1561 Walton Avenue in West Concourse, and feature sixty units of rental housing for low-income and homeless individuals and families.
Councilmember Introduces Anti-“Poor Door” Legislation
Bill would prohibit restricting affordable unit tenants’ access to residential building amenities. On March 31, 2015, Councilmember Corey Johnson introduced Intro 731 at the stated meeting of the New York City Council. The bill would amend the New York City administrative code to prohibit discriminating against “any person or group of persons” in the use of amenities in their building because they occupy an affordable housing unit in the building. The bill would also extend … <Read More>
Brooklyn Borough President Adams Delivers Keynote at Affordable Housing Forum
The Borough President promoted his targeted plan to address Brooklyn’s housing needs. On March 10, 2015 the New York Housing Conference held the Brooklyn Affordable Housing Forum at the National Grid Auditorium in MetroTech Center. The event featured representatives from community groups, real estate development, and city agencies to address challenges and ideas for affordable housing and services in Brooklyn.