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“Calling this a pilot was the fig leaf that allowed them to play politics with boundaries” -Howard Slatkin Executive Director at Citizens Housing & Planning Council (CHPC) on the state’s go-ahead for a new basement&cellar legalization pilot in select city community districts. For City Limits citylimits.org/2024/04/29/adv…

Of the 15 community board districts included in the pilot program, just one is in Queens, where nearly 40% of the city’s estimated 376,478 basement and cellar spaces in one- to three-family homes are located. thecity.nyc/2024/04/29/bas…

Why does the State's basement & cellar program exclude East New York, home to the pilot that paved the way for this state law? Where residents showed overwhelming interest in the program & the Council Member supports it? City Limits looks into what happened--and what's next.

NY's basement legalization plan 'inexplicably' misses parts of city that need it most buff.ly/3wgak0d

Two state lawmakers, NYS Senator Julia Salazar + Jessica González-Rojas (votejgr.bsky.social), say they’ll intro a new bill expanding a basement legalization program to community districts ‘inexplicably’ carved out That includes East New York/Cypress Hills + parts of Western Queens w/Jon Campbell gothamist.com/news/nys-basem…

EDITORIAL | Heads in the dirt: Albany bungles basement apartment pilot As poorly-designated as this pilot program might be, let’s hope at least that it produces some actionable data on the best way forwards towards finding this balance citywide. trib.al/6gNTiAO

Our new white paper about the impact of flooding on low- and moderate-income households in NYC finds that most renters reported having no renters’ insurance to cover the cost of lost clothes, furniture, or equipment. nyfed.org/3wvf8im

With just a week left in Albany's session, Julia Salazar (@juliasalazar on bluesky) & Jessica González-Rojas (votejgr.bsky.social) want to expand the state's recently passed basement legalization pathway to more city neighborhoods. “If it were up to me, all of NYC would be included,” Salazar tells reporter Chris Janaro bit.ly/3KljGea

The bill would add 4 community districts to the state's plan, including Brooklyn CB5 in East New York, which was the testing ground for the city's 2019 basement conversion pilot. “We want to make sure people aren't drowning in their own homes,” said rep Sandy Nurse

As we face the reality of the climate crisis, converting basement apartments into safe living places must be part of our housing policy or we risk more people drowning in their homes. Thanks Julia Salazar (@juliasalazar on bluesky) and Jessica González-Rojas (votejgr.bsky.social) for this bill to include our communities in the pilot.

"Besides the addition of the four community districts, Salazar’s bill seeks no further changes to the state pilot, which she hopes will allow it to pass more quickly." from Chris Janaro, with a map of the CDs this basement pilot expansion bill would cover: citylimits.org/2024/05/30/lat…

‘I panic when I hear rain’: New York’s deadly basement apartments face growing flooding risk theguardian.com/us-news/articl…

New York will soon have city and state codes to help make more below-ground dwellings legal. Residents still have to watch their emergency alerts and stormy skies to stay safe. thecity.nyc/2024/08/30/bas…

15+ years in the making! Our statement on today's votes by City Council on zoning, building code, and legislative reforms that will finally enable the City to create a safe basement and cellar apartment conversion program:

"This is a pivotal moment for NYC’s housing future. Key wins like zoning changes, a basement pilot program & citywide code updates pave the way for safer, more stable housing for tenants while supporting homeowners." – Annetta Seecharran, Executive Director