From Left to Right: Council member Ydanis Rodriguez, Council member Helen Rosenthal, State Assembly member Deborah Glick, and Council member Mark Levine speak at the rally against illegal hotels. Image credit: CityLand

The proposed laws seek to enforce existing State regulations by increasing illegal hotel fines and reporting requirements.  On October 30, 2015, the City Council Committee on Housing and Buildings heard testimony on three proposed laws that seek to ramp up enforcement of state laws that prohibit the operation of illegal hotels.  The proposed legislation would regulate only those residential units located in multiple-dwelling buildings—not one- to four-family homes.  The proposed legislation is intended to address property owners who repeatedly and illegally rent out entire apartments, particularly rent-regulated apartments, for less than thirty days.

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Current fee structure created in 2004. On August 4, 2009, Landmarks held a hearing on a proposed fee increase for new building and alteration applications. The rule was published in the City Record on July 2, 2009.

The proposed rule would increase Landmarks’ fee for new one-, two-, and three-family dwellings from six to ten cents per square foot. For all other buildings, the proposed rule would increase the fee from thirteen to twenty cents per square foot, but not less than $100 per structure.

A $50 flat fee for building alterations costing up to $25,000 would remain unchanged. Landmarks would increase an incremental fee for each additional $1,000 spent above $25,000 from three to four dollars. As examples, the fee for a proposed $15,000 storefront alteration would be $50, while the fee for a proposed $300,000 three-story addition would rise from $875 to $1,150. (read more…)