Mayor Bill de Blasio. Image credit: CityLand

$466 million moved back into the 2021 Fiscal Year’s capital budget. On October 22, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the acceleration of capital funding within the City’s affordable housing plan by shifting $466 million to the current fiscal year’s capital budget to address urgent affordable housing needs. In March, the City moved $466 million from the Department of Housing Preservation and Developments Fiscal Year 2021 budget to the Fiscal Years 2022 through 2024. However, following the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to support the ongoing recovery efforts, the Department moved these funds back to Fiscal Year 2021. After this shift, the City would have invested $1.4 billion in affordable housing this year. This funding acceleration keeps the Housing New York project on track to create and preserve 300,000 affordable homes by 2026. (read more…)

Image credit: Mayoral Photography Office

City pushes forward on its goal to create 300,000 affordable homes and produces a record number of affordable units for homeless, seniors, and those in need of supportive services. On July 30, 2019, the Office of the Mayor announced that the City has financed 25,299 affordable homes for 2019. The Mayor plans to finance 300,000 affordable homes through the Housing New York plan by 2026. (read more…)

Mayor Bill de Blasio. Image Credit: New York City Mayoral Photography Office

New laws focusing on vacant land throughout the City aims at identifying and reporting lots and buildings that could be used for affordable housing. On January 8, 2018, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed two bills into laws that focus on how vacant land, both public and private, across the city could be used to further accelerate the production of affordable housing. The new laws will advance the Mayor’s Housing New York 2.0 plan to build 300,000 affordable homes in the City. The new laws will require the City and Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD) to conduct a census-like report on vacant property throughout the City. (read more…)

100 of New York City’s landlords are put on the “Worst Landlords Watchlist” of 2017. On November 14, 2017, Public Advocate Letitia James released the annual “Worst Landlords Watchlist”, a database started by then Public Advocate Bill de Blasio to allow residents, advocates, public officials and other individuals to identify which buildings and property owners who are consistently in violation of the law and hold those landlords accountable.

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NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer. Image credit: Office of the New York City Comptroller

Comptroller audit finds that HPD’s controls to ensure that housing incentives were rewarded to qualified applicants were largely effective. On June 27, 2017, 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 whether HPD had adequate controls to ensure that its housing incentive projects were properly awarded to property owners and developers that qualified for the program, had the ability to create or preserve the required affordable units and had a satisfactory record of performance to assure the business’ integrity.   (read more…)

The constructed and preserved affordable housing units by borough. Image credit: The Office of Mayor Bill de Blasio

The Mayor’s Administration is ahead of schedule in achieving its goal to build 200,000 affordable homes in 10 years. On July 26, 2016, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced an update on the progress that has been made to achieve the goals set forth in his Housing New York plan, which seeks to build 200,000 affordable homes in 10 years. The Housing New York plan met the conclusion of its second fiscal year on June 30, 2016.  For CityLand’s previous coverage on the Housing New York plan, click here and here.

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