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#Hochul plans to force building of affordable housing on Long Island

“Hochul plans to force building of affordable housing on Long Island”

Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to spur the construction of 800,000 units of affordable housing in and around New York City — and especially on Long Island — by letting state officials overrule the development decisions of local governments.

In her State of the State speech Tuesday, Hochul also said she favored mandating that neighborhoods within half a mile of MTA subway and railroad stations be rezoned if they don’t already allow multifamily housing in two- to four-story buildings.

Hochul set a three-year goal of increasing the housing stock in downstate communities by 3% each over three years, compared to 1% during the same time in the rest of the state.

The plan directly targets Long Island, which Hochul said has the lowest rate of new housing in New York, at just 0.56% from 2018 to 2020.

During an earlier briefing by Hochul administration officials, the town of Huntington was singled out for permitting construction of just 934 homes and apartments over the past decade, even though it covers an area as large as Brooklyn.

If a developer’s proposal is rejected by local officials, a new state Housing Approval Board would have the power to overrule them and allow construction, officials said.

During her speech, Hochul claimed her plan was “not a one-size-fits-all approach.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul said she wants to build 800,000 units of affordable housing in the New York City area by allowing state officials to overrule local governments on construction decisions.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said she wants to build 800,000 units of affordable housing in the New York City area by allowing state officials to overrule local governments on construction decisions.
AP Photo/Hans Pennink
Hochul plans to increase the housing stock in downstate communities by 3% each in the next three years.
Hochul plans to increase the housing stock in downstate communities by 3% each in the next three years.
Affordable Housing Online

“Local governments can meet these targets any way they want,” she said. “They can shape building capacity. They can redevelop old malls or buildings, office parks, incentivize new housing production or just update the zoning rules to reduce the barriers.”

But she warned that “when communities have not made good-faith efforts to grow when proposed housing projects are languishing for no legitimate reason, the state will implement a fast-track approval process.”

“Because doing nothing — nothing — is an abdication of our responsibility to act in times of crisis,” she said to scattered applause.

Hochul’s plan dovetailed with Mayor Eric Adams’ announcement last month that he wanted to more than double the rate of housing development in the city in what he called a “moonshot” effort.

Hochul also pledged to seek renewal of the state’s former “421-a” tax abatement program, which encouraged developers to set aside units in new buildings for affordable housing.

“We cannot meet the demand for housing without an incentive program like we have with 421-a in New York City,” she said. “Without it, developers are only building condominiums or are building elsewhere, which is absolutely not the result we need to meet our housing goals.

“We will work with the Legislature to come up with a replacement for this critical piece of the puzzle,” she added.

Hochul's plan specifically targets Long Island which had the lowest rate of new housing in New York between 2018 and 2020.
Hochul’s plan specifically targets Long Island, which had the lowest rate of new housing in New York between 2018 and 2020.
Affordable Housing Online

Also during her speech, the governor outlined a green energy plan that would “end the sale of new fossil-powered heating equipment by 2030.”

That proposal would require all new construction to meet “zero-emission” goals in 2025 for smaller buildings and in 2028 for larger buildings.

“We’re taking these steps now because climate change remains the greatest threat to our planet, also to our children and our grandchildren,” she said.

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