A new version of the heavily criticized expired J-51 property tax incentive is back. Advocates argue it will encourage landlords to renovate apartments and will help them afford the upgrades needed to comply with the building emissions law, Local Law 97.
The Council voted to adopt a modified version of the City of Yes plan—one which scales back some of the zoning reforms included in the original, adds affordability incentives, and allocates $5 billion for infrastructure upgrades and housing programs.
The announcement follows months of complaints by immigrants and asylum seekers about missing mail in city shelters, complicating their immigration cases and other efforts to establish their lives here, as City Limits was the first to report in July.
This week, City Council committees will vote on the mayor’s ‘City of Yes’ for housing plan, and hold hearings on deed theft, basement apartments and more.
“The lack of public bathrooms is one of the daunting challenges and cruel indignities that unsheltered New Yorkers consistently face as they draw on meager resources to survive life on the streets.”
Manhattan City Councilmember Carlina Rivera introduced legislation Wednesday that would expand eligibility criteria for city-funded supportive housing to include people with justice system involvement in the last year—a change long sought by advocates, who say it would increase options for New Yorkers cycling between jail and shelter.
City Limits rounds up the latest housing and land use-related events, public hearings and affordable housing lotteries that are ending soon.
The legislation, passed last year, requires the city to establish a new 311 option for tenants to report and request inspection of empty units creating hazards in their buildings. It was supposed to go live in early August.
Council Speaker Adrienne Adams slated two days of public meetings, for Oct. 21 and 22, where lawmakers will probe the Adams administration’s zoning reform package. She also announced the Council’s intention to put forth its own “thorough housing action plan,” as part of the final negotiations.
The appeal announcement included the launch of a website tracking the number of days since the Council says its laws should have been implemented—447, as of Tuesday—and the number of evictions filed across the city during that time.
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