Contributing Writers: Azad Ali, Tangerine Clarke,
Nelson King, Vinette K. Pryce, Bert Wilkinson
GENERAL INFORMATION (718) 260-2500
Caribbean L 10 ife, MARCH 12-18, 2021
By Brooklyn Borough
President, Eric Adams
Growing up in South
Jamaica, Queens, I lived with
the constant anxiety that my
family might fall into homelessness.
My mother had my
siblings and I take trash bags
full of our clothing to school
with us, just in case we came
home to find an eviction
notice on our door.
During the pandemic,
many New Yorkers are living
with this same fear. While an
eviction moratorium continues
to protect most renters
throughout the five boroughs
for the time being, some of
the most vulnerable people in
our city are still not afforded
that peace of mind.
The City’s Department of
Housing Preservation and
Development (HPD) issued
95 vacate orders for illegal
dwellings between March and
October last year. The tenants
living in these dwellings,
often basement apartments,
are predominantly immigrants
or those living on the
economic margins of society,
with few other options. Many
of them end up homeless
once they are evicted.
But there is no need to
put vulnerable tenants out
on the street because there
is no need for their apartments
to remain illegal. We
already have a blueprint for
ensuring people can stay in
these dwellings – and there
has never been a better time
to follow it.
In 2019, Mayor de Blasio
signed Local Law 49, which
created a pilot program in
East New York that allowed
homeowners of certain one-
and two-family dwellings
to convert their basements
into legal, affordable dwellings.
The City offered low- or
no-interest loans to eligible
homeowners to help them
bring these spaces up to code.
Now we should take that program
citywide.
Unfortunately, very few
basement dwellings are compliant
with building or fire
codes, meaning tenants are
forced to live in poor, and
sometimes dangerous, conditions.
By bringing these units
out of the regulatory shadows
with simple upgrades, the
City can drastically increase
the supply of direly needed
affordable housing — estimated
at more than 100,000
units — while helping homeowners
earn extra income.
Unfortunately, the City cut
the program’s funding down
to almost nothing in the last
fiscal year, as part of a series
of COVID-induced budget
cuts. That is exactly the kind
of cut we cannot afford during
a crisis.
I am glad the City Council
has recently acted to extend
program deadlines for the
East New York basement conversion
pilot, and I commend
Council Member Darma Diaz
for leading that effort. In
addition to ensuring we protect
the funding for the program
as well, we should also
loosen some of the requirements
for dwellings without
compromising the safety of
tenants as well as expand the
program citywide.
Such steps could include
lowering the required ceiling
height of existing units to 7
feet from 8 feet, which is in
line with the International
Building Code recommendations,
and amending fire and
building codes so that they
are aligned on issues such
as window size. We can also
waive parking requirements
for sub-grade units. If we do
these things, we will open
many more units to become
legal housing.
Just as we don’t want to
unfairly penalize tenants
already living in basement
apartments, we shouldn’t
punish homeowners who
undertook conversions
to make these units more
habitable. That is why the
City should also consider an
amnesty program to grandfather
in landlords who have
already done unauthorized
work to upgrade their basements
into dwellings.
Units that have been converted
should still be vetted
by regulators to ensure compliance
with building and fire
codes. But creating comprehensive
changes to our City’s
regulatory approach to basement
dwellings, given the exigencies
we face during the
pandemic, would also create
greater clarity for homeowners
and tenants alike.
A new bill introduced by
Assembly Member Harvey
Epstein and Senator Pete
Harckham would legalize
these and other accessory
dwellings statewide, and
direct the New York State
Division of Housing and
Community Renewal to create
a financing program to
help low- and moderate-income
homeowners with conversions
of basements, attics
and garages. The State Legislature
must prioritize passage
of this bill as well.
If we are committed to an
equitable recovery, it is time to
get creative and smart about
creating more legal affordable
housing. No one should
live in fear of returning home
to an eviction notice — especially
if common sense laws
can prevent it.
By Patrick J. Foye, chairman
of the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority
New York is coming back
in ways small and large with
sports venues already reopening,
restaurants increasing
indoor capacity, and weddings
and other special events being
scheduled for the summer. The
MTA is also emerging from the
darkest days of the pandemic
and I’m looking forward to us
playing a key part in the regional
economic recovery.
Looking back on the last 12
months since the first case of
COVID-19 arrived in New York is
difficult. Fully comprehending
the loss of over 520,000 Americans
nationwide is unthinkable.
That millions more have
grappled with the virus, myself
included, is still a startling reality.
At the MTA, this once-ina
century crisis has made for
darkest year in our history by
far. The most devastating part
was the loss of more than 150
colleagues, who gave so much
to keep New York moving. We
mourn and grieve them every
day and honor their sacrifice.
But true to the MTA and the
incredible men and women of
New York City Transit, MTA
Bus Company, Long Island Rail
Road, Metro-North Railroad and
MTA Bridges and Tunnels, there
were bright spots, too. Our heroic
workforce showed up day after
day to bring essential workers
and first responders to the front
lines to save lives. Their dedication
and public service is inspiring.
I never doubted that the MTA
would rise to the challenges of
this public health crisis, just
as MTA employees have risen
to the occasion time and time
again. However, because ridership
declined precipitously, by
more than 90 percent on the
subways alone at the peak of
the pandemic, our revenues fell
dramatically. This had a crushing
effect on our budget, half of
which is made up of funds raised
from fares and tolls. Dedicated
taxes and subsidies also fell off a
cliff, compounding our financial
troubles.
Just a few months ago, we
faced an unprecedented multiyear
$16 billion deficit– roughly
equivalent to the size of our
annual budget. To close the gap,
we were forced to draft doomsday
plans that included draconian
service cuts of up to 50 percent
on the commuter railroads
and up to 40 percent on subways
and buses. Fortunately, we
haven’t had to implement these
draconian service cuts over the
next two years. Thanks to the
hard work of Senate Majority
Leader Schumer, Speaker
Pelosi and the bipartisan New
York congressional delegation,
we were able to receive $8 billion
in federal aid through the
CARES Act and CRRSAA, and
we’re optimistic to receive billions
more in President Biden’s
$1.9 trillion American Rescue
Plan to avoid future cuts.
OP-EDS
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New York City needs to get
smart about creating more
legal affordable housing
Relief for the MTA
MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick
J. Foye. Associated Press/
Frank Franklin II, fi le
Brooklyn Borough President
Eric Adams on Jan.
7, 2021. Photo by Mark Hallum