Chart displays the percentage of Airbnb’s listings offering entire homes in New York City before and after Airbnb took down more than 1,000 of them. Image credit: Tom Slee & Murray Cox
Elected officials and affordable housing activists unite at State capitol in support of the legislation. On February 24, 2016, 300 members and supporters of the Share Better coalition rallied at the State capitol in support of Assembly Bill A08704, which would ban most online listings advertising rental apartments for less than thirty days per renter. Bill A08704 was proposed to the State Assembly approximately one month after a report was released to the public that tends to show Airbnb released its site data to the public only after purging its site of more than 1,000 illegal temporary rental listings. The rally was held on the same day Airbnb issued a letter to the State legislature to reassure Assembly Members and Senators of the company’s commitment to working with the City in creating fair rules for operating the home-sharing network.
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The City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises hearing testimony from City Planning Chairman Carl Weisbrod, Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, and Commissioner Vicki Been (from left to right). Image credit: CityLand
Hard-hitting questions from several Council members explored ways affordable housing could be provided at deeper levels of affordability. On February 9, 2016, the City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises held a public hearing on Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing proposal. The hearing was held in the City Council Chambers in City Hall to accommodate the capacity audience.
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Councilmember Ben Kallos. Image credit: William Alatriste/NYC Council
Bill would require all landlords of affordable apartments to publicly list their properties through the portal. At the City Council stated meeting on Monday, December 7, 2015 Council Member Ben Kallos introduced Intro 1015, a proposed law that would require property owners that receive tax credits in exchange for building affordable housing units to publicly list those units in an online portal. The bill is co-sponsored by Council Members Jumaane Williams and Rosie Mendez and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer.
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From Left to Right: Council member Ydanis Rodriguez, Council member Helen Rosenthal, State Assembly member Deborah Glick, and Council member Mark Levine speak at the rally against illegal hotels. Image credit: CityLand
The proposed laws seek to enforce existing State regulations by increasing illegal hotel fines and reporting requirements. On October 30, 2015, the City Council Committee on Housing and Buildings heard testimony on three proposed laws that seek to ramp up enforcement of state laws that prohibit the operation of illegal hotels. The proposed legislation would regulate only those residential units located in multiple-dwelling buildings—not one- to four-family homes. The proposed legislation is intended to address property owners who repeatedly and illegally rent out entire apartments, particularly rent-regulated apartments, for less than thirty days.
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Carl Weisbrod, Chairman of the City Planning Commission. Image credit: CityLand
The program would be the strongest inclusionary housing requirement in the nation. On September 18, 2015, the City Planning Commission initiated public review of the Department of City Planning’s application for the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program, which is one of the major programs to be implemented under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Housing New York plan. The Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program would require, rather than incentivize, residential developers to reserve a portion of newly-created housing units as permanently affordable. The program seeks to help the fifty-five percent of New York City residential-renters who are “rent burdened,” which has increased by eleven percent since 2000.
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