COUNTY LEGISLATORS SPEAK OUT TO SAVE AFFORDABLE RENTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 4, 2007
Contact: Barbara Dodds, Legislative Aide; Tel: (914) 995-4429; Bad2@westchestergov.com
At a recent state public hearing, County Legislators Lois Bronz (D-WF, Greenburgh), Ken Jenkins (D, Yonkers) and Tom Abinanti (D-IN-WF, Greenburgh) strongly supported legislation to amend regulations affecting subsidy rental programs.
The New York State Department of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) held hearings on September 24th in White Plains, New York City and Mineola in Nassau County to provide opportunities for comment on changes to the Rent Stabilization Code affecting New York City and the Tenant Protection Regulations affecting Westchester and other counties. The legislation would allow municipalities to extend the Emergency Tenant Protection Act (ETPA) to rental buildings which have already left or might leave subsidized housing programs like Mitchell-Lama and to eliminate a loophole for owners of such developments to raise rents to market rates.
A subsidized housing program provision, originally applicable to situations affecting individual apartments, allows landlords buying out of their program mortgage to claim “unique and peculiar circumstances” for raising the legal rent to market-rate rentals three to four times the Mitchell-Lama rate. This could affect over 4200 Mitchell Lama units, over 3300 section 236 units and 3000 section 8 units built in the County. Some 3800 affordable units are currently in jeopardy because of subsidized housing program buy outs in Westchester County.
Lois Bronz, Chair of the Board’s Committee on Housing, Planning and Government Operations (HPGO), said “The prospect of losing affordable rental units when Mitchell-Lama and other subsidized housing programs mature is devastating when we have been working so hard to increase housing to meet the crisis needs of our county. In such a high market-rate environment we need a moratorium on Mitchell-Lama buyouts and passage of S5284/A7811 with all deliberate speed so that we are not debating this year after year.” The HPGO Committee, including Legislators Vito Pinto, Bernice Spreckman, Ken Jenkins and William Burton, sent a letter supporting the legislation.
Ken Jenkins said the state has to recognize that affordability is different in different places. “While we make strides to encourage and develop affordable housing units, market-rate and luxury housing is being developed at ten and twenty times over,” he said. “We have to balance the housing needs of all the people.” Tom Abinanti added, “Government regulated and subsidized rental apartments are a significant part of Westchester’s affordable housing, and these government programs must be preserved.”
The proposed amendments, S5284 and A7811, are being sponsored by former county legislators Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assemblyman George Latimer, among others.
