Proposed laws would expand the Alternative Enforcement Program and impose new fines on repeatedly-cited landlords. On October 1, 2014 the City Council Committee on Housing and Buildings held a public hearing on Intro 345-A and Intro 348-A, collectively known as the Quality Housing Act. The bills are sponsored by Council Member Antonio Reynoso and Council Member Ritchie Torres respectively, and seek to improve the quality of maintenance of New York City apartments.
Department of Housing Preservation and Development
Mayor Signs Tenants’ Bill Of Rights into Law
Laws require tenants to be informed of landlord responsibilities and increase penalties for tenant harassment. On September 30, 2014 Mayor Bill de Blasio signed Local Law 45 and Local Law 47 of 2014 into law. The bills, referred to as the Tenants’ Bill Of Rights, were sponsored by Council Member Fernando Cabrera and Council Member Margaret Chin respectively, and are directed to increase protection of New York City tenants.
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>
New Housing for the Special Clinton District
Council-approved developments in Special Clinton District will achieve 39 percent affordability across a range of Area Median Incomes. On June 26, 2014, the City Council unanimously voted 48-0 to approve applications which would facilitate the development of two new mixed-use buildings, the rehabilitation of another building, and creation of three new community gardens in the Special Clinton District in Manhattan. The joint applications were proposed by the Clinton Housing Development Company, the New York … <Read More>
Mayor de Blasio’s Land Use Appointments Carousel Continues
Mayor de Blasio has re-structured the City’s land use administrative hierarchy to further his affordable housing agenda. On July 22, 2014, Mayor Bill de Blasio nominated Margery Perlmutter to serve as Chair of the Board of Standards and Appeals. This was the Mayor’s latest appointment to City land-use positions, all of which will bear heavily on the Mayor’s expansive affordable housing agenda, a ten-year plan designed to preserve some 200,000 units of affordable housing.
Financing Approved for Affordable Housing Developments
HDC approves the financing to fund 2,226 units of affordable housing. On June 16, 2014, the Board of Directors of the New York City Housing Development Corporation approved the financing for projects in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn which will consist of $2756 million in bonds and $88.7 million in subordinate financing for HDC. The money will be used to construct eleven new buildings with 1,259 affordable housing units and preserve and protect seven projects … <Read More>