In June, the city spent $122 million to purchase 14 former cluster site buildings, turning them over to nonprofit organizations to fix up and operate as permanent housing. The organizations have their work cut out for them: There were more than 1,100 open Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) violations across the portfolio at the time of purchase.
A construction worker died building a $10,000 per square foot development. His death went unacknowledged and the developer was only charged a $12,500 fine, a Documented investigation found.
Five weeks after the local community board rejected the city’s application to rezone a 56-block stretch of the two wealthy neighborhoods, Brewer said the current plan leaves many issues unresolved—though she hasn’t ruled out backing a revised plan.
New Yorkers who withstood the flooding inside their basement apartments—often unauthorized conversions that do not meet city safety standards—now face new hardships and fears, like dangerous mold, future flooding, and the abrupt loss of housing.
The law replaces earlier protections that expired Aug. 31 but had been gutted by the Supreme Court ruling last month.
‘It’s crucial for the mayor to make difficult decisions about how certain neighborhoods are zoned and rezoned. He should have the courage of his convictions—and, where needed, be unafraid of controversy.’
Many of the issues homeless new Yorkers with health problems face—abrupt transfers, inaccessible accommodations, shelters in isolated areas—existed long before the pandemic, but they have been laid bare as Mayor Bill de Blasio continues to pursue a summer-long effort to clear about 60 so-called “de-densification” hotels.
There are now over 342 miles of sidewalk shed in New York City. With so much scaffolding in place, there are bound to be some landmarks hidden underneath, like the familiar sign outside Jerry, George and Elaine’s favorite place to kvetch over coffee—or grab a big salad.
The ruling comes less than two weeks after the Supreme Court ended New York state’s ban on most evictions. But NYC tenants still have several other potential avenues of protection.
‘For every supportive housing slot there are six applications. Nearly 45,000 New Yorkers, including 14,000 children, fill the shelter system. What we need now is the political will to invest in this long-term goal while offering shorter-term pathways to housing.’
The contract granted to outside firm Guidehouse to administer the beleaguered program has begun to attract scrutiny from lawmakers and good government groups, who have also questioned the hiring of a top Cuomo advisor for a high-level position at the company.