Category: Housing

Brewer Recommends ‘Yes’ on Mayor’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Plan, ‘No’ on Zoning for Quality & Affordability

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In formal opinions published today, Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer gave her conditional approval to the Department of City Planning’s proposed Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) plan, and recommended conditional disapproval of the Zoning for Quality & Affordability (ZQA) proposal. The Borough President’s positive recommendation on the MIH plan came as a result of her office securing administration officials’ agreement to make several major improvements. Borough President Brewer issued the… Read more

Brewer Forces Council Review of Chelsea Development Missing Affordable Housing

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Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer invoked the little-used “triple no” provision of the City Charter to force a City Council vote on a controversial special permit application for a development project at 42 West 18th Street in Chelsea. Immediately following the City Planning Commission’s narrow approval of the application at a meeting this morning, Brewer sent a formal letter of objection (below) to Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and City… Read more

Brewer Writes to Mayor De Blasio and NYCHA Chair Olatoye in Response to $10m Broadband Investment’s Exclusion of Manhattan Developments

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On Thursday, Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer sent the following letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York City Housing Authority Chair Shola Olatoye on the city’s failure to include any Manhattan developments as part of its newly-announced $10 million investment in free broadband for NYCHA residents. In her letter, Manhattan Borough President Brewer wrote: “While I am strongly supportive of your desire to bring free broadband to… Read more

Borough President Calls on Senate Leader to Disavow “Guns for Rent Laws” Hostage-Taking

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Manhattan B.P. releases seven-point slate of reforms for rent laws and affordable housing NEW YORK – Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer issued the following statement in response to a Daily News report indicating some upstate Republican legislators favor holding New York City’s rent laws hostage to win changes to the NY-SAFE Act: “I was shocked and disturbed to read in today’s Daily News that some upstate Republican legislators are… Read more

Brewer-Mendez Tenant Notification Bill Passes Council

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Legislation will protect tenants’ quality of life and minimize disruptions from repair work NEW YORK – Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer and Council Member Rosie Mendez today celebrated the Council’s passage of Int. 222, legislation requiring landlords provide tenants with advance notice for non-emergency repair work that will result in disruptions to building services. The bill establishes a general baseline of 24 hours’ advance notice for most work. For… Read more

Statement on Affordable Housing Announcements in Mayor Bill De Blasio’s State of the City Address

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NEW YORK – Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer issued the following statement in response to the affordable housing announcements in Mayor Bill de Blasio’s State of the City address, delivered earlier today at CUNY Baruch College in Manhattan: “I congratulate Mayor de Blasio on his commitment to building affordable housing and the success he has had so far. His ambitious Mandatory Inclusionary Housing initiative will certainly have an impact… Read more

Joint Statement on New NYC Illegal Hotel Lawsuit

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Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer, Assembly Member Richard N. Gottfried, and State Senator Liz Krueger jointly issued the following statement in response to news that Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Office of Special Enforcement has filed a new lawsuit targeting a major illegal hotel operator in midtown Manhattan: “We applaud the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement’s newest lawsuit to reclaim residential apartments and shut down a large-scale illegal hotel. Residential… Read more

End the “Poor Door”

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Relegating low- and moderate-income residents of new, mixed-income developments to a “poor door” is wrong and must stop immediately. New York City thrives on fairness and diversity. Creating a two-tier system in the same building is anathema to everything that makes Manhattan great. I consider any separate-but-equal rationalization an offensive relic of history.Today, July 25, 2014, I stood on City Hall steps to demand revisions to the city’s Inclusionary… Read more

Brewer to HPD: Stop downsizing vulnerable Section 8 tenants, convene working group

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Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer is calling on the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) to halt the downsizing of the City’s most vulnerable Section 8 residents and convene a working group to find alternate cost-saving solutions. The letter was signed by 26 elected officials and follows months of communication with HPD over Section 8 downsizing. “Downsizing as it is currently being carried out affects mostly the… Read more

Brewer calls on City Hall to reject Airbnb’s business model

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Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer is calling on City Hall to reject Airbnb’s business model and fight its efforts to legalize the now illegal use of apartments for commercial use. In a letter to Mayor de Blasio, Brewer warns that using residences as unregulated hotels risks further reducing the number of affordable and rent-regulated apartments in the City – right when they are most needed. The practice also creates… Read more