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. (more…)

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.   (more…)

City Planning Commission hearing testimony at December 16th meeting. Image credit: CityLand

CPC held the hearing at the National Museum of the American Indian in an attempt to accommodate the large number of guests, however an overflow of testifiers waited on lines outside as the hearing began. On December 16, 2015, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing, and Zoning for Quality and Affordability proposals, which are two components of the Mayor’s Housing: New York plan. The public hearing was the latest step in the review process for these two plans, and followed up on the Citywide Community Boards’ votes from last month.

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Mark Ginsberg

At the CityLaw Breakfast on November 13, 2015 Commissioner Vicki Been outlined the de Blasio Administration’s recent actions and efforts to advance a coherent and far reaching housing policy for New York City, one that provides more affordable housing for low-income and working-class New Yorkers, strengthens neighborhoods, and at the same time protects those residents who are already benefiting from and have a continued need for affordable housing.

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Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the financing of 17,300 units of affordable housing. Image credit: Mayoral Photography Office

17,300 units of affordable housing were created or preserved in 2014.  On January 15, 2015, Mayor Bill de Blasio held a press conference to announce the financing of over 17,300 units of affordable housing during 2014.  These units, 11,185 preserved and 6,191 of new construction, were financed as a part of the Mayor’s Housing New York plan to preserve and build 200,000 units of affordable housing by the end of Fiscal Year 2024.  According to Mayor de Blasio, these units will be enough to provide housing for 42,000 New Yorkers.

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