Friday, February 27, 2009

Keep affordable buildings affordable

Our neighborhood includes many former (and two current) Mitchell-Lama rental buildings.

Landlords are trying to raise the rents in the former Mitchell-Lamas to market rate through a loophole in the law called "unique or peculiar circumstances." While the state's housing agency has tried to close that loophole with a regulation, landlords have challenged it in court. Tenants in 17 buildings - including 6 in this neighborhood - are responding to the challenge, but a simple law could fix it permanently. (To learn more about the issue, go to www.save-ml.org.)

The bill soon to be proposed by State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins would put all rental buildings leaving Mitchell-Lama and leaving Section 8 projects into rent stabilization
  • without "unique or peculiar" increases (landlords are asking up to 5 times the current rents)
  • without regard to when the building was built (the current law only protects pre-1974's)
  • even if it was removed from Mitchell-Lama before the bill was passed.
That bill would keep affordable all of the buildings that have recently been removed from Mitchell-Lama on the Upper West Side - and would deter efforts to remove those whose tenants are fighting to stay in the program- such as Trinity House.

Our state legislators are supportive, but it will not get passed unless they persuade their colleagues to support it too.

Click here to print out and sign a letter to Assembly Member Daniel O'Donnell.

Click here to print out and sign a letter to State Senator Bill Perkins.

Click here to print out and sign a letter to State Senator Eric Schneiderman.

You can also telephone or e-mail to urge their support for this bill:

Assembly Member O'Donnell
Phone: 212-866-3970
OdonnellD@assembly.state.ny.us

State Senator Perkins
212-222-7315
perkins@senate.state.ny.us


State Senator Eric Schneiderman
Tel. (212) 873-0282 ext. 13
Fax (212) 873-0279
Schneiderman@Schneiderman.org


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