New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Image Credit: Mayors Press Office
Governor Cuomo signs executive order to delay tax lien sale. On September 4, 2020, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a delay of the City’s annual tax lien and water lien sale. The sale which was originally scheduled for May 2020 and was postponed to September 4, 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, will now take place on September 25, 2020. The announcement comes after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order suspending the City’s ability to hold a lien sale. To read the Governor’s executive order click here.
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Mayor Bill de Blasio at his August 5 Press Conference Image Credit: Mayor’s Press Office
Mayor’s affordable housing announcement appears more retrospective than optimistic. On August 5, 2020, The Mayor’s Press Office released a statement touting the amount of affordable housing created in fiscal year 2020. The announcement states that the City preserved 23,520 homes and constructed 6,503 new units, totaling 30,023 affordable City financed homes. More than 50 percent of these homes serve families earning less than $52,000 and 3,600 people received voucher increases to ameliorate income lost from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Image Credit: City Planning Commission
NYC Engage announced with ULURP restart. On July 15, 2020, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the City Planning Commission will start holding remote hearings, beginning with an August 3, 2020 Review Session and a public meeting on August 5, 2020. The Mayor also announced the launch of “NYC Engage,” a new online portal intended to facilitate public engagement during the remote public hearings. The last time that the City Planning Commissioned convened was during a March 2, 2020 review session.
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The New NYC Housing Connect Image Credit: HPD
NYC Housing Connect tool intends to make affordable housing searches a more user-friendly experience. On June 16, 2020, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the launch of “NYC Housing Connect,” an online tool for finding and applying for affordable housing. The new system provides upgrades from its predecessor through a collaborative effort by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, user-design experts and collected public feedback.
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Mayor Bill de Blasio holds media availability for updates to the City’s coronavirus. Image Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
Questions about transient use and multiple dwelling law linger after City and Airbnb’s settlement. On June 12, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Airbnb announced a settlement of their lawsuit regarding Local Law 146 of 2018. Local Law 146 of 2018 requires users of short-term rental platforms, like Airbnb, to file reports with the City detailing individual host and transaction information. In their initial filings, Airbnb and the other associated parties expressed concern about data storage, sharing and privacy, claiming the local law violated the First and Fourth Amendments of the United States Constitution, the Stored Communications Act and the New York State Constitution. Airbnb was awarded a preliminary injunction for their claims on January 3, 2019. This newly announced settlement between involves Airbnb dismissing the lawsuit against the City and agreeing to provide the City the specified host and transaction information, in the manner described by the settlement’s prospective local law. It is important to note that the settlement is premised on the actual adoption of the new law governing short-term rental reporting. The City Council Committee on Housing and Buildings held a public hearing on the proposed bill amendments on June 17, 2020. The Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement testified but there were no questions or comments.
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Mayor Bill de Blasio. Image Credit: Benjamin Kanter/Mayoral Photo Office.
The first street to be co-named and painted will be near City Hall. On June 9, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the City will begin to co-name and paint selected streets in all five boroughs in honor of the Black Lives Matter movement. The Black Lives Matter movement, which began in 2013, works to address the issue of state and vigilante violence against Black individuals and works to bring equity to Black communities. Recently, the Black Lives Matter movement has been part of the protests against systemic racism and police misconduct that have occurred in response to the death of George Floyd. Mayor de Blasio announced the street co-naming and painting initiative to commemorate the efforts of Black Lives Matter activists.
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