The future of a plan to bring more illegal New York City basement apartments out of the shadows and up to code could depend on whether Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers can reach a wide-ranging deal on housing policy — a major obstacle that’s proven elusive so far.
Hochul’s $233 billion state budget proposal includes a measure allowing the city to set basement and cellar safety standards and waive fines against landlords if they commit to bringing illegal subterranean apartments up to code, complete with multiple exits and other safety protections.
The measure is backed by Mayor Eric Adams, who has made it a key part of his housing agenda, particularly in the outer boroughs.
It’s not a novel idea.
After 11 people drowned in New York City basement apartments when remnants of Hurricane Ida swept through the region in September 2021, state and city officials proposed new rules allowing the city to regulate thousands of subterranean dwellings and prevent another tragedy from happening.
Officials say cumbersome laws, including a total prohibition on legal basement apartments in two-family homes, keep thousands of existing units in the shadows. But previous efforts have stalled, and the latest push seems contingent on broader changes to housing policy.
Top lawmakers in Albany are making clear they don’t intend on taking a piecemeal approach to housing policy. The basement proposal continues to be caught in an ongoing housing stalemate between Hochul and Democratic lawmakers that has persisted for more than a year.
“The [housing] conversation, as I said, has to be comprehensive,” state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins told reporters Tuesday. “There are a lot of elements that we all are talking about, and I’m looking forward to really extending the conversation so that we can do a myriad of things, including tenant protections.”
Basement apartments are ubiquitous across the five boroughs, especially in lower-density neighborhoods in places…
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply