Council Member Jumaane D. Williams speaks at the oversight hearing on short-term rentals. Image credit: William Alatriste / New York City Council

Eight-hour hearing covered testimony from supporters and opponents of short-term rental businesses.  On January 20, 2015, the City Council Committee on Housing and Buildings held an oversight hearing on the effects of short-term rentals on New York City’s economy and neighborhoods.  Over the course of eight hours, the committee heard testimony from independent tenants, representatives from the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement, the home-sharing website Airbnb, owners of local bed-and-breakfasts, and members of the public for and against short-term rentals. (read more…)

City Planning Chairman Carl Weisbrod & HPD Commissioner Vicki Been are sworn in before the Council’s oversight hearing. Image credit: William Alatriste, NYC Council

HPD, City Planning, NYCHA among those who answered questions on the results and direction of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan.  On November 17, 2014, the City Council Committee on Housing and Buildings, joined by the Committee on Land Use and Committee on Community Development, held an oversight hearing on Housing New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s affordable housing plan. The Council heard testimony over the course of seven hours from Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Vicki Been, City Planning Commission Chairman Carl Weisbrod, along with representatives from the New York City Housing Authority, the Housing Development Corporation, labor unions, tenant advocacy groups, and other stakeholders.

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Council Member Ben Kallos

Last week, the City Council passed a resolution in support of allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to serve on their local community boards. The resolution throws City support behind Albany legislation that would amend the City Charter and Public Officers Law to let the teens become full voting members of their boards.

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