Hochul's Housing Plan Discussed

Groups in favor of Governor Kathy Hochul’s ambitious plan to build 800,000 new housing units over the next several years met Tuesday at the state Capitol to show their support for the proposal.

Hochul wants to reach the goal by giving each region of the state a minimum number of new housing projects that would need to be built over the next few years. More housing would be required in downstate regions than in upstate, where the population has not grown as much.   

The state would pay for 100,000 of the housing units. The rest would be financed by developers, who would also have new incentives to convert unused office space into residential units, and to build multifamily housing near public transit hubs. 

Kate Slevin with the newly formed New York Neighbors coalition says it’s a “bold” plan that would help address the high cost of housing and the low number of available homes in New York. 

“There needs to be a state leadership when it comes to addressing these problems,” Slevin said. “Municipalities really need to work with her and work with their leaders to ensure that the targets that she set forth are implemented.” 

Hochul’s plan includes a carrot-and-stick approach. If local governments work toward their targets, they can receive state funding for infrastructure like sewers and water hookups, and some environmental review requirements would be waived. If they do not meet their goals, then the state would have the authority to override local zoning laws to ensure that the targets are met.  

Local governments, including the New York State Conference of Mayors, oppose the state making changes to local zoning rules. Executive Director Peter Baynes, in a statement, says the governor “mistakenly lays New York's housing shortage problem at the feet of local officials” and he says state government “cannot possibly know the needs and conditions of individual communities.” 

Slevin, with the New York Neighbors coalition, says she knows the proposal will face blowback. But she says other states have already enacted similar plans, including the bordering states of New Jersey and Connecticut, and have eased their housing shortages.  

“These things are always controversial. It's going to be a debate, and it's going to be a lot of discussion,” Slevin said. “But we really want something to happen.”

Senate Housing Committee Chair Brian Kavanagh, who met with the group, says he’s very encouraged that Hochul is putting the focus on what he says is a critical need. 

“The headline here is that we have a governor who has unequivocally said since the fall that it is the state's role to ensure that we have enough affordable high-quality housing for everybody,” Kavanagh said. “And that she as the governor is committed to working with us to deliver on that. And I think that's a very big step.” 

Kavanagh says some of his colleagues do have some skepticism about the state being able to override local government zoning rules, and those details will need to be worked out. 

He says other components should also be part of a housing package, including strengthening the state’s rental assistance programs and passing a bill he sponsors that would provide housing access vouchers to those in need. 

And Kavanagh backs the good cause eviction measure that would prevent landlords from refusing to renew a lease with a tenant unless they’ve committed a serious violation, like failing to pay rent or breaking the terms of the lease.  

“I certainly expect that that is something that the Legislature will be bringing to the table if we're doing a comprehensive package in the budget,” he said. 

Senator Kavanagh does not think, though, that a program supported by developers, which provided a tax break for construction projects that include affordable housing, needs to be revived. The program, known as 421a, expired last year after the governor and lawmakers failed to agree on a new program. Hochul did not include a new version in her budget plan, and he says the Senate is not likely to do so. 

The Legislature will hold a hearing to further examine the governor’s housing proposals on March 1st.