The City Council, Public Advocate and administration officials agree that new measures should be taken to ensure 421-a compliance, proposed legislation is a good start. On November 22, 2016, the City Council’s Committee on Housing and Buildings and Committee on Finance held a joint hearing on the City’s enforcement of 421-a requirements. The meeting also served as a public hearing for three proposed bills to strengthen enforcement efforts.
The proposal seeks to re-zone two and a half residential blocks from solely residential to mixed-use with ground floor commercial space. On August 9, 2016, the City Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises heard testimony on an application to re-zone residential space to provide for mixed residential and commercial space for two-and-a-half blocks on the south side of Houston Street, spanning from Norfolk Street to halfway between Clinton Street and Attorney Street, located on the … <Read More>
The request seeks proposals that incorporate a hotel, residential units, and retail space. On January 19, 2016, the New York Botanical Garden issued a request for proposals to construct a mixed-use development on an “acre-plus parcel” of land that sits at the south-east corner of Webster Avenue and Bedford Park Boulevard, which is directly adjacent to the Botanical Garden’s parking garage. The development would be part of a larger district-wide transformation that has been underway … <Read More>
Deal is retroactive to the programs’ expiration on June 15. On June 25, 2015 the New York State Legislature passed a bill extending rent-regulation protections for New York City. The laws had expired on June 15, and the Legislature temporarily extended its session to allow time for working on a longer-term solution. On March 11, the New York City Council passed an extension of the City’s rent-stabilization laws, as well as a package of resolutions … <Read More>
City officials questioned on policy to protect New York’s industrial sector. On May 6, 2015 the City Council Committee on Land Use held an oversight hearing on industrial land use policy in New York City with a focus on protecting and encouraging the City’s industrial sector from encroaching alternative uses. In his opening remarks, Councilmember and Land Use Chair David Greenfield emphasized as ineffective the City’s policy of designating Industrial Business Zones without changing the … <Read More>
A long-standing feature of American tax policy is the exemption granted to nonprofit organizations, the largest of which is the exemption from local property taxes. The exemption, with origins back to the 18th century, is widespread. Among the 50 states, 17 state constitutions mandate property tax exemptions for charitable organizations, 25 authorize the legislature to give exemptions, and eight do not address the issue. New York State establishes two classes of exemptions for nonprofits: … <Read More>