2024 Policy Agenda
The construction of homes across New York remains at historically low levels, fueling a housing shortage that disempowers tenants and puts intense pressure on rents and home prices. New York – unlike many other states, including all of its neighbors in the Northeast – allows local governments exclusive control over housing growth, with no accountability for areas failing to provide diverse and affordable housing options. In 2024, Open New York is focused on enacting new policies in Albany and at local levels to legalize more homes and support housing stability.
Legalize “missing middle” housing across the city and state
Across New York, state and local laws prohibit new housing of many types – from backyard cottages in suburban areas, to shared housing models in Manhattan, to small apartment buildings in the vast majority of the state. New York cannot fix its housing crisis without removing these unnecessary and outdated barriers, which prevent the simplest and least expensive types of housing from being built.
- In New York City, we support the ongoing City of Yes for Housing Opportunity initiative, which would allow for contextual housing growth in all neighborhoods. As the initiative enters the public review process in 2024, Open New York will advocate for the approval of the strongest version of the proposal that maximizes new homes in every neighborhood across the city, from permanently affordable housing in high-density neighborhoods, to mid-sized apartment buildings along commercial corridors, to incremental accessory dwelling units in low-density neighborhoods.
- In Albany, we support new legislation that would empower faith-based organizations to build affordable housing on their land (S7791/A8386). We also support the continued strengthening of legislation that would ensure small-scale housing opportunities are legal across the state, including S4547A/A4854A (accessory dwelling units), S8783B/A9802B (legalization of existing basement apartments), and allowing apartments to be built near every transit station in New York.
Make the process to build new homes faster, cheaper, and easier
Over the past 50 years, all levels of government have made the process of building new housing more difficult – without analyzing whether these requirements provide safety, health, or other benefits. All too often, well-resourced neighborhoods weaponize these processes to delay new affordable housing. To solve our housing crisis, we must make the process of getting shovels into the ground faster, cheaper, and easier.
- In New York City, we will advocate for lifting onerous parking mandates that are attached to new housing, as part of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity initiative. Many cities and some states have recently lifted rigid mandates for new parking; New York City has the lowest car ownership rate and the best public transit in the country, and it needs to catch up with the rest of the country in prioritizing housing over parking.
Ensure every neighborhood contributes to New York’s housing growth
Recent patterns of housing development in New York City and State have been profoundly inequitable, pushing almost all new housing into a few neighborhoods while leaving many others – including some of the best-resourced areas – untouched. In much of New York, there is a disturbing lack of data and planning related to housing growth and needs. To solve our housing crisis, we need both stronger data and planning requirements as well as true accountability for areas failing to provide diverse and affordable housing options.
- In New York City, we will work with the Mayor, Speaker, and City agencies to implement the new Fair Housing Framework, as well as fight for increased accountability mechanisms at the city and state levels to ensure NYC neighborhoods meet their goals.
- In Albany, we support new requirements for local governments to share data about the housing they do or not permit (S688/A4990) and analyze and plan for their future housing needs. We will also continue to push for new proposals for statewide processes to approve sustainable, mixed-income housing projects in the face of local obstructionism. We also support lifting the State’s arbitrary limits on residential density, creating incentives to add income-restricted housing in high-resource neighborhoods, and comprehensive property tax reform to finally address the inequitable taxes on rental apartments and homes in low-income neighborhoods.
Empower tenants with stronger rights and enforcement
Too many New Yorkers enter 2024 fearing that they will not be able to afford their next lease, while others are unable to find a home because of unchecked discrimination. Abundant housing opportunities also means the opportunity to stay in one’s home if they wish.
- In New York City, we will continue to push for new local laws to expand anti-discrimination protections, including the Fair Chance for Housing Act (Intro. 632-2022), which will help hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who have criminal records find stable housing, and we will seek new transparency requirements on the co-op board application process (Intro. 915-2023).
- In Albany, we continue to support the growing coalition of New Yorkers who are fighting for “good cause” tenant protections in unregulated apartments (S305/A4454), and we will push for tenants to have the first opportunity to purchase their buildings if and when they are offered for sale (S221/A3353). We support expanded anti-discrimination protections (S3251/A4959) as well as a widely-supported proposal for a new statewide rental subsidy program (S568B/A4021A) for low-income families facing housing instability. Lastly, we will seek new transparency requirements on the co-op board application process state-wide (S2964A/A1778)
Strengthen government agencies to fast-track new housing
Public sector capacity is critical to achieving the housing conditions that New Yorkers need. Without government staff and resources, critical affordable housing will not be created or preserved, vacant City-owned buildings will not be re-activated, and hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who apply for affordable housing will not be processed quickly.
- In New York City, we will fight for the City’s housing and homelessness agencies to be exempted from ongoing staff cuts. We also back emergency housing support and the right to shelter for recent migrants while legalizing and streamlining sustainable, accessible, affordable permanent housing options for new New Yorkers.
- In Albany, we will support the creation of new programs and funding streams that can finance innovative, government-owned housing, including social housing, workforce housing, and public housing models.
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