New legislation could end MCI programs
State Assemblyman Brian Barnwell unveils new legislation that
would protect tenants from major capital improvement projects.
Photo via Twitter/Brian Barnwell
DOT must do more to alleviate parking woes: Holden
BY MARK HALLUM
City Councilman Robert
Holden’s office is claiming it
has made headway in an effort
to bring parking options to
Middle Village motorists who
have been impacted by the
prolonged Penelope Avenue
sewer project.
The city Department of
Transportation (DOT) opened
up 71st Avenue along Juniper
Valley Park to overnight
parking. Although it is not
exactly what Holden has
been pushing for, which is
to open Juniper Boulevard
South for overnight parking,
a spokesman for the
councilman said his office
will continue the push make
more parking near the park
available to constituents
during the project, which has
cost about $22 million and
stalled for months while lead
remediations were made.
“Any additional parking
that can be provided to
residents in this area is
desperately needed, but I
still don’t think the DOT has
done enough,” Holden said.
“Temporary relief for the
overnight parking restriction
during the duration of this
project was not too much to
ask for, and I’m frustrated that
the DOT is only doing the bare
minimum.”
The DOT has placed bags
over signs forbidding parking
along 71st Avenue between
Juniper Boulevard South and
62nd Drive, which only spans
about 150 feet, and parking
restrictions have only been
lifted on the park side of the
street.
“Due to major construction
for a nearby sewer project,
some overnight parking
regulations have been
temporarily suspended on
71st Ave. during the project’s
duration following requests
from the local Council
Member, Community Board
and local stakeholders” a DOT
spokesman said. “DOT and
BY BILL PARRY
New legislation introduced
by two Queens elected officials
aims to end the Major Capital
Improvement (MCI) program,
which allows landlords to
pass the costs of questionable
apartment repairs onto rentregulated
tenants across
the city.
State Sen. Michael Gianaris
and state Assemblyman Brian
Barnwell announced the
legislation during a Feb. 22
press conference in Columbus
Circle in Manhattan.
“Too many tenants are
priced out of their homes
because of MCIs whose only
improvement seems to be
the landlord’s bottom line,”
Gianaris said. “All New
Yorkers deserve high quality,
affordable homes and our
proposal brings us closer
to that goal by ensuring
repairs are made without
burdening tenants with
unreasonable costs.”
The existing MCI program
was enacted in the 1970s as a
way to incentivize landlords
to perform repairs on rent
regulated apartments. Since
that time, abuse of the program
is well-documented, included
Parking is permitted along Juniper Boulevard South, near Juniper
Valley Park during the day, but there’s a no-standing regulation in
effect at night. Photo via Google Maps
DDC will continue to monitor
conditions.”
The agency said it worked
with Holden’s office to
implement the change and
is “open to discussing other
being featured in a lengthy
New York Times exposé
highlighting bad business
practices of Donald Trump
and his father, Fred, in their
real estate business.
In some buildings, MCI
increases are so high, they
increase rent beyond the $2,700
threshold required to regulate
an apartment.
“The Major Capital
Improvement program is
responsible for hundreds of
millions of dollars in rent
increases on rent regulated
tenants,” Barnwell said. “It is
unacceptable that we maintain
a program pushing middle to
low income New Yorkers out
of their homes while allowing
landlords to continue to make
monstrous profits. Under
our legislation, landlords
will not be able to increase
tenants’ rents due to repairs/
improvements the landlord
should already have made.”
Currently, MCIs must be
submitted by landlords for
approval by the New York
State Department of Homes
and Community Renewal. The
agency’s standard practice
is to approve requests with
minimal oversight. Tenants
are allowed to challenge
potential locations with him
and other stakeholders.”
An interruption of the
Penelope Avenue sewer
project concerning lead in the
soil caused other problems
increases, but have only 45
days following being given
notice of increases to do so. The
legislation would eliminate
the MCI program and would
repeal MCIs issued within the
last seven years.
“These MCIs has been
affecting the community
heavily since 1969since1969.
Cosmopolitan tenants along
with Woodside On The Move
started to fight these ridiculous
rent increases in 2017,” No
More MCIs Coalition Tenant
Leader Nilda Rivera said.
“It’s time for the abolishing of
the MCI’s for all tenants and
taking away the power from
all greedy landlords.”
Several Queens
organizations such as
Woodside on the Move, the
Catholic Migration Service
and the Miktown Center are
part of The No More MCIs
Coalition which works with
tenant leaders and elected
officials to emphasize the
urgency to pass legislation that
would prevent communities
from displacement.
Reach reporter Bill
Parry by e-mail at bparry@
schnepsmedia.com or by phone
at (718) 260–4538.
for Middle Villagers living in
the work area, as residents
reported damage to stoops,
foundations and sidewalks
in the area. Holden and City
Comptroller Scott Stringer
visited the area in August 2018
and vowed to get the project
moving again while also
mitigating the damage that
residents suffered.
But the Department of
Design and Construction
(DDC) restarted the project in
October.
The discovery of lead at the
construction site led Holden
to draft legislation restricting
lead contaminated soil from
being stored uncovered near
schools. Many local residents
attributed the amount of lead
in the soil to the fact many
parts of the neighborhood
which was formerly a swamp,
are comprised of landfill.
Reach reporter Mark
Hallum by e-mail at mhallum@
schnepsmedia.com or by phone
at (718) 260–4564.
14 TIMESLEDGER, MARCH 1-7, 2019 QNS.COM
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