For the first time in nearly two years, New York’s expansive COVID-related eviction protections have come to an end for tenants who owe back rent. Landlords are rejoicing, renters are feeling the heat and city officials are bracing for impact.
Housing and Development
As NY’s Eviction Moratorium Nears its End, Will Albany Pass ‘Good Cause’ Bill?
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Hundreds of thousands of households across the state already owe back rent as a result of the pandemic, and face eviction when protections expire on Jan. 15. The Good Cause Eviction bill would give tenants the right to a lease renewal in most cases, and prevent landlords from removing a renter without an order from a judge.
City Hall
As First Black Speaker, Adrienne Adams Takes Helm of Majority-Women NYC Council
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Adams stressed unity in her first speech as City Council’s new leader, saying the legislative body—the most diverse in the city’s history—would prioritize addressing the pandemic, including the recent shortage of tests and booster appointments, as well as public safety, healthcare equity and affordable child care.
Housing and Development
Brooklyn Developer’s Rezoning Proposal Would Add 400-Foot Towers to Broadway Junction
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The project would create about 664 housing units, two commercial towers and a new park in place of vehicle lots and low-rise buildings in an area that city officials have been eyeing for years for potential economic and real estate development.
Housing and Development
City Watch: Should NYC Land Use Decisions Consider Hospital Capacity?
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New Queens Councilmember Lynn Schulman wants to incorporate hospital capacity into New York City’s zoning process, following decades of medical facility closures, including several in Queens.
Zoned Out: Examining the Impact of NYC's Rezonings
House Flippers Continue to Target East New York. Residents Blame the 2016 Rezoning
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Home prices in the predominantly Black and Latino neighborhood began to tick up before then-Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans to rezone 190 blocks in 2014. But affordable housing advocates and local residents say the rezoning, approved in 2016, only drove more speculators to scoop up homes, jack up prices and push out existing residents.
The Coronavirus Crisis
Long Waits for NYC’s COVID-19 Isolation Hotel Rooms, As Omicron Cases Spike
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Those who’ve tried to use the service in recent weeks say there haven’t been enough hotel rooms to meet demand. They report delays in obtaining a room, sometimes three days or more, even as the CDC recently cut its recommended isolation time down to five days.
Government
The Borough Presidents of The Bronx’s Past
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As Vanessa Gibson prepares to take office as the borough’s leader next month, three Bronx “beeps”—Robert Abrams, Adolfo Carrión Jr. and current Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.— sat down to discuss the role of the office, their most memorable moments and advice for their successor.
Bronx
‘He’s the Glue’—Friends Honor Slain Soccer Star Who Helped Build a Team of Homeless New Yorkers
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Akeem Loney was most at home on a patch of turf in Allerton. Outside the neighborhood, the 32-year-old—who was stabbed to death while sleeping on the subway last month—helped grow a citywide soccer program from a shelter on Wards Island.
Hurricane Ida
After Slow Start, Applications Roll In for NY’s Ida Relief Fund for Undocumented Workers
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As of Dec. 13, 501 applications for the $27 million fund have been completed and signed by a caseworker, 145 have been approved, 66 have received the aid and 79 are in the process of receiving it.
Housing and Development
Newly-Approved SoHo Rezoning Promises Affordable Homes. How Much Will they Really Cost?
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While developers will seriously benefit from a chance to build market-rate apartments in one of the city’s most coveted zip codes, the de Blasio administration says the new construction will also create about 900 apartments deemed affordable under the mayor’s signature Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) policy.