City Planning Holds Hearing on 11-Story Middle-Income Building in Bedford-Stuyvesant

Planning Commission holds hearing for new 11-story mixed-use building with 103 units in Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. On June 21, 2017, the New York City Planning Commission held a public hearing on an application for multiple land use actions to facilitate the development of an 11-story mixed-use building consisting of 71,417 square feet of residential floor area and 13,236 square feet of retail floor area. The applicant, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, proposed that the … <Read More>


City Council no Longer a Rubber Stamp on Zoning Proposals

Panel of City Officials and industry leaders discussed NYC zoning and recent developments like Mandatory Inclusionary Housing and Zoning for Quality and Affordability. On November 30, 2016, the Center for Real Estate Studies hosted a the breakfast forum, “Celebrating 100 Years of NYC Zoning: Setting the Future Agenda for Developers and Policy Makers.” Ross Moskowitz, a Partner at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, moderated a panel consisting of Commissioner Vicki Been, from the Department … <Read More>


Comptroller Audit Reveals that HPD Failed to Collect $34.2 Million in Assessed Penalties

Comptroller’s audit finds that HPD’s collection efforts did not result in the collection of the vast majority of the money judgments referred to its Judgment Enforcement Unit. On November 17, 2016, the Office of the City Comptroller Scott Stringer released a report of an audit of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. The audit sought to evaluate HPD’s efforts in collecting outstanding money judgments resulting from assessed penalties.


Council Members Denounce HPD Efforts Against Predatory Equity

City Council Members seek to strengthen tenant protections from predatory equity landlords. On October 31, 2016, City Council’s Committee on Housing and Buildings held a five-hour public hearing on a complement of five bills, two of which related to predatory equity.

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 predatory equity get-rich-scheme works as thus: private investment money is … <Read More>


City Relying on 1962 State Law to Combat Irresponsible Landlords

City forces eight landlords to fix building code violations in twelve buildings by threatening to stop paying rent for tenants on public assistance. On May 26, 2016, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Public Advocate Letitia James announced the use of the 1962 New York State Spiegel Law as a tool to compel landlords to fix violations for tenants receiving public assistance. Landlords who do not complete repairs quickly will lose out on rent payments.


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>