Q: What are your key affordable housing goals for next year’s legislative session? KW: Three words: rent, rent, rent. The renewal of the rent stabilization and rent control laws is one of the most important agenda items that we have to grapple with this coming year. We have to make sure that folks of lower and middle income who are affected by these laws will be able to stay in their apartments. And I’m not just talking about the folks in New York City—I’m talking about myself as well. I live in the same rent-stabilized apartment that I grew up in, so this is deeply personal for me. It’s going to determine how our children and our grandchildren will be able to live in our city for generations. So renewal of the rent laws has to be done in a comprehensive, fair and just manner, which means we have to deal with vacancy decontrol, and with revisions to the MCI [Major Capital Improvement] system, and with the J-51 and 421-a tax incentive programs for developers. We have to look at how to deal with our Mitchell-Lamas as well. So let’s get ready to rumble. Q: Can you talk more about the Mitchell-Lama situation? KW: Our Mitchell-Lama buildings are basically the heart and soul of middle class and working class New York, and now some of the Mitchell-Lama programs are coming due, and some of the owners of these developments are opting out of the program. So what happens next? Do these units just become market rate apartments? If so, we’re going to have to be very creative in terms of finding a strategy to keep these Mitchell-Lamas going. Whether or not part of the JPMorgan Chase settlements will help with the subsidies, we will just have to figure those things out. Q: How will the newly Republicancontrolled Senate and Gov. Andrew
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Q: What specifically will you be pushing for next session? KW: One of the things I want to do, which is really a federal issue, is to change the structure of what is defined as the AMI—Area Median Income. The determination of what is defined as affordable has to go through the AMI system. We in the five boroughs are lumped together—which is fine—in terms of AMI, but we’re also lumped in with Rockland County and Westchester County—two of the richest counties in the nation. So the median income skews up because those two counties bring it up.
CATHARINE YOUNG Chair of the State Senate Committee on Housing, Construction and Community Development Q: Around the state, what are some of the most pressing affordable housing priorities? CY: From Western New York to the tip of Long Island, safe and affordable housing is an issue that affects seniors, families and communities in rural, suburban and urban areas. Housing is a compelling social issue because everyone needs a decent place to live, but it also has a tremendous impact on the economy. Deteriorated housing
Q: You represent a largely rural district in the Southern Tier and Western New York regions of the state. What are the main affordable housing issues in these areas? CY: My district contains some of the oldest housing stock in the country and many of these buildings are in need of repair. Local nonprofit housing and economic development specialists, such as Neighborhood and Rural Preservation Companies, fulfill their mission by rehabilitating older structures and developing new ones. Many downtowns across upstate have fallen upon hard times, resulting in empty storefronts and beautiful historic buildings that have fallen into disrepair. State grants such as the popular Main Street program, tax abatements like 421-m, and the Rural and Urban Community Investment Fund provide the tools to redevelop mixed-use housing. Mt. Morris in Livingston County is a compelling example of how an ailing downtown can be turned around: Stately, ornate buildings have been restored inside and out, providing exciting new housing options on the upper floors, while small businesses once again occupy the street level. The economy is humming again: Jobs have been added and sales tax revenues are climbing. The community has become a destination for tourists and shoppers alike. Q: We have a big legislative session coming up in light of rent regulation laws and other real estate measures that are set to expire next year. What are your key legislative priorities in this area? CY: One of our goals should be to renew New York City’s existing affordable housing tax incentive programs—421-a and J-51— and to tailor these initiatives for their continued effectiveness in stimulating new construction and the redevelopment of affordable housing. Other programs that provide
SPOTLIGHT: AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Chair of the Assembly Committee on Housing
stock affects quality of life, property values and tax revenues that fund schools and local governments. There needs to be greater awareness of the link between housing and largepicture economic growth. We must coordinate new housing opportunities with New York’s economic initiatives such as the growing technology industry so that municipalities can provide associated long-range plans that capitalize on existing underutilized housing stock.
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city & state — December 19, 2014
THE ROUNDTABLE
KEITH WRIGHT
Cuomo factor into this upcoming legislative fight? KW: I will never forget the headline in the newspaper in 1997 when thenSenate majority leader Joe Bruno stated that he was going to end rent control as we know it. And I think that his progeny, living and breathing in Dean Skelos, is going to try and do the very same thing. The Senate is going to be adamant about trying to create more vacancy decontrol units, and I think they will try to get rid of rent control and rent destabilization as well. The governor has been very strong on this issue, even if he hasn’t been the most vocal. I think he understands the crisis that we are facing in the city, and I think that he will be a very able partner.