The legislation, which is the first of its kind in the Nation, represents New York’s newest tool in its battle with Airbnb. On June 17, 2016, the New York State Legislature passed the first state bill in the Nation to ban online advertisements for illegal apartment rentals. The bill, sponsored by Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal and Senator Andrew Lanza, seeks to protect the at-risk stock of the City’s affordable housing units, which are illegally rented … <Read More>
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City Officials Continue Push Against Airbnb Bad Actors
Following Mayor’s appearance on Daily Show, Deputy Mayor Glen calls on release of names of bad hosts. On March 7, 2016, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen requested that Airbnb provide the City with the names and addresses of the hosts illegally using its website. Deputy Mayor Glen’s letter was written in the wake Mayor Bill de Blasio’s March 3rd appearance on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, where he discussed the … <Read More>
Public Advocate Investigation Reveals HPD’s Grossly Inadequate Oversight of Homeownership Programs
Investigation uncovers HPD’s 13 years of failing to enforce housing program requirements against developers and depriving the City of affordable housing and resources. On February 29, 2016, New York City Public Advocate Letitia James released a report on an investigation conducted by her office into 26 residential properties in Brooklyn. The 26 properties had been given to a nonprofit developer to be rehabilitated and resold, subject to affordable housing income restrictions, as part of the … <Read More>
Rent Stabilization: Preserving Low and Middle-Income Housing
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>
BSA Vested Rights Decision Upheld by First Department
First Department recognized retroactive validation of a permit. In 2005, the Board of Standards and Appeals denied recognition of GRA V, LLC’s common law vested right to perform work under a Department of Buildings permit on the grounds Buildings deemed the underlying permit invalid. (See CityLand’s extensive previous coverage here.) A common law vested right occurs when a developer performs substantial work in reliance that the underlying permit or zoning is valid. In 2011, … <Read More>
City Council Approves Tax Exemption to Preserve Affordable Housing
Dean Atlantic HDFC received property tax exemption for seven buildings. On August 21, 2014, the City Council voted 47-0 to approve an Article XI property tax exemption on seven buildings owned by the Dean Atlantic Housing Development Finance Corporation. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development requested the exemption from the City Council on Dean Atlantic’s behalf. The buildings are all in Brooklyn Community Board 16, covering the Ocean Hill and Brownsville communities. Six … <Read More>