Council Member Helen Rosenthal Gets a “High-Five from a Constituent. Image credit: NYCC/William Alatriste

City Council passes a package of bills intended to strengthen protections for tenants subject to harassment by landlords. Since the mid-2000s and largely due to the housing bubble, predatory equity has become a metastasis on the New York City housing market. The expulsion of both rent stabilized and market-rate tenants is accomplished through means both legal, by abusing technical loopholes in State law, and illegal, by dangerous living conditions and intimidation. (more…)

Chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings, Council Member Jumaane Williams. Image credit: NYCC/William Alatriste

City Council Committee to hear testimony on a package of bills intended to strengthen protections for tenants subject to harassment by landlords. Since the mid-2000s and largely due to the housing bubble, predatory equity has become a metastasis on the New York City housing market. The expulsion of both rent stabilized and market-rate tenants is accomplished through means both legal, by abusing technical loopholes in State law, and illegal, by dangerous living conditions and intimidation. (more…)

New York City Council Member Jumaane Williams. Image credit: NYCC/William Alatriste

City Council unanimously passed a landmark construction safety bill mandating worker training. On September 27, 2017, City Council voted 42-0 to pass Int. No. 1447-C, which will implement mandatory construction safety training standards citywide with equal accessibility. This bill was a controversial aspect of a package of construction safety bills, some of which were passed in May 2017. For CityLand’s prior coverage on this matter, click here.

This bill drew the most debate at the January 31st hearing on the construction bill package. For CityLand’s prior coverage on the hearing, click here. On September 20, 2017, this bill was discussed and approved at the Housing and Buildings Committee meeting. Council Member Jumaane Williams, Deputy Leader and Chair of Council’s Housing and Buildings Committee, sponsored the bill. Williams noted the bill was amended 3 times in response to feedback from all affected stakeholders. Williams ended the meeting by dedicating a moment to the construction workers who lost their lives due to conditions that triggered the need for this bill. (more…)