"Congratulations on your win. Many New Yorkers are counting on you to accelerate the development of affordable housing. But what about saving from demolition the existing rent stabilized units that are being torn down to make way for luxury housing? This is a little recognized trend. You now have the opportunity to stop this serious and continuous loss."
"The campaign includes affordable housing advocates, community organizers, parks defenders, historic preservationists. City Council members Gale Brewer (upper West Side), Christopher Marte (Lower East Side) and Sandy Nurse (Brooklyn) also recognize this and are planning to confront it. Plans are in the works to submit a bill to the City Council to require developers to replace on site the same number of affordable housing units that they tear down."
"Instead, mayor elect, you could have an immediate impact. Don't just freeze the rent of rent stabilized units; don't allow their demolition at all. Require new apartment towers to contain the same number of affordable units on site that get torn down to make room for them. Require the rent to be comparable. That would, at least, stop the loss of existing affordable units while you do everything possible to build new affordable housing."
Many rent-stabilized units are being demolished across the city to make way for luxury housing. The Campaign for a Livable City and other advocates have documented and called attention to the trend. City Council members Gale Brewer, Christopher Marte, and Sandy Nurse plan to propose a bill requiring on-site replacement of affordable units that developers demolish. The bill could take time to pass through the Council. An immediate policy would prohibit demolition of rent-stabilized units and require new developments to include the same number of on-site affordable units with comparable rents, preserving existing affordable housing while new units are built.
Read at The Nation
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