NYC Council Housing Committee Hearing on Mayor’s Housing Plan and Seven Local Laws – September 9, 2026
NYC Council Committee on Housing and Buildings Hearing on Mayor’s Housing Plan and Seven Local Laws – September 9, 2026
The New York City Council Committee on Housing and Buildings, chaired by Councilmember Pierina Ana Sanchez, held a hearing on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, to conduct oversight of Mayor Zoran Mamdani's comprehensive housing plan, "Block by Block: The Housing Plan for a New Era." The committee also heard testimony on seven proposed local laws, including the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA, Int. 0905), the reauthorization of the J51 tax incentive (Int. 1015), and bills addressing office conversions, property owner identification, permit sign-offs, street numbers, and electronic property registration. The hearing featured extensive testimony from administration officials, council members, advocates, tenants, property owners, and labor representatives. All introductions were heard and laid over by the committee.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Support for COPA (Int. 0905): A broad coalition of tenant organizers, community land trusts (e.g., East New York CLT, Queens CLT, Chinatown CLT), legal aid groups (NYLAG, Communities Resist), affordable housing developers (VOA, Goddard Riverside), and advocacy organizations (ANHD, UHAB, New Economy Project, ARP, LiveOn NY) urged passage, arguing it would preserve affordable housing, combat speculation, and empower tenants. Testifiers shared stories of living with mold, vermin, broken elevators, and landlord neglect, emphasizing that COPA would give qualified nonprofits a first right of refusal to purchase distressed buildings.
- Opposition to COPA: Small Property Owners of New York (SPONY) and individual testifier Christopher Johnson opposed COPA, calling it unconstitutional and arguing it would penalize owners financially distressed by city policies (rent freezes, high taxes). SPONY questioned HPD's capacity to handle up to 2,100 potential eligible transactions per year.
- Support for J51 Reauthorization (Int. 1015): Urban Green Council, Climate Works for All Coalition, and co-op/condo advocates (CNYC) stressed the importance of J51 for helping buildings comply with Local Law 97, citing that over 300,000 residential units in co-ops and condos could benefit.
- Support for Electronic Registration (Preconsidered bill): SPONY and others thanked Councilmember Banks for the bill, saying it would modernize a paper-based system that often loses documents.
- Support for Office of Conversion Assistance (Int. 0178): Open New York and others supported the bill, noting that office-to-residential conversions have already yielded 10,000 new housing permits this year and that an assistance office would streamline the process.
- Concerns from Labor: IBEW Local 3, Plumbers Local 1, Mason Tenders District Council, and Local 79 testified in support of the Construction Justice Act (CJA) and project labor agreements, urging that affordable housing construction provide family-sustaining wages and benefits, not poverty wages through labor brokers. They highlighted cases where workers on subsidized projects earned $21-$22/hour without benefits.
- Concerns from Senior and Homeless Advocates: Urban Pathways, New Destiny Housing, Supportive Housing Network, and LiveOn NY called for more deeply affordable units (12,000/year for ELI households) and supportive housing preservation. They noted that 73% of extremely low-income households are rent-burdened and that seniors are the fastest-growing homeless population.
- Concerns from Property Owners: SPONY opposed Int. 0649 (posting owner sign), arguing it would invade privacy and that current HPD registration already provides emergency contacts.
Discussion Items
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Oversight of the Mayor’s Housing Plan: Chair Sanchez and council members questioned HPD Commissioner Adolfo Levy and DOB Commissioner Amant Tagani on implementation, staffing, enforcement, and preservation strategies. Key topics included:
- Staffing and Capacity: HPD reported 993 enforcement staff (11% increase over 5 years) and 353 development staff (19% increase), with 41 new positions allocated for the housing plan. DOB had 604 inspectors (7% vacancy rate) with 25 in pipeline. Both commissioners expressed confidence in morale but acknowledged competition with private sector pay.
- Enforcement Tools: The administration described "Fix the City" initiative targeting 10 distressed portfolios, new OCA directive expediting 7A cases (hearings within 5 days), and coordinated interagency inspections. HPD committed to investigating every unit-specific heat complaint this winter and launching a new reinspection scheduling system.
- Preservation vs. Production: The plan aims to build 200,000 new affordable units and preserve 200,000 existing units over 10 years. HPD highlighted the "Tools" program for stabilizing at-risk buildings, a $100 million city-backed insurance program (22 responses to RFEI), and expansion of the J51 tax abatement.
- COPA Implementation: HPD estimated 2,100 buildings currently eligible under the revised distress criteria (rolling code violations). Commissioner Levy noted that HPD would need rulemaking for qualified purchasers list, penalties, and tenant notification, and that financing would rely on existing programs (PLP, Article 11) plus potential partnerships with CDFIs.
- ADU and Conversion Progress: DOB reported 27 ADU applications in pipeline (plus 17 expected), with 48% of basement/seller conversions. The pre-approved plan model has not yet been used due to lot constraints. DOB will finalize rules for manufactured ADUs by end of 2026.
- Rent-Stabilized Vacancies: HPD questioned DHCR data showing 57,000 vacant rent-stabilized units, noting that the Housing Vacancy Survey (due February 2027) will provide deeper analysis and that many vacancies are temporary (turnover, lease-up).
- Homelessness and Vouchers: HPD reported converting 2,000 EHV families to TBRA, and moving 1,700 from NYCHA to HPD's home ARP. For the remaining 3,400 NYCHA EHV families, NYCHA is offering PACT/Section 8 applications, but Councilmember Restler criticized the slow pace.
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Intro 0905 (COPA): Councilmember Nurse, the sponsor, highlighted that 62% of New Yorkers (5 million people) cannot meet basic cost of living, and that COPA would disrupt the cycle of landlord neglect by giving nonprofits first right to purchase distressed buildings. Commissioner Levy expressed administration support, aligning with preservation goals.
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Intro 0178 (Office of Conversion Assistance): Councilmember Epstein explained the bill would help developers navigate complex conversions and report data. Commissioner Levy and DOB supported the intent.
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Intro 0649 (Owner Identification Sign): Councilmember Restler's bill requires posting beneficial owners. SPONY opposed, citing privacy; administration supported goals but wanted enforcement discussions.
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Intro 0717 (Permit Sign-Off Notices): Councilmember Salaam's bill would require DOB to notify owners of open permits every 90 days. DOB supported intent but cautioned that too-frequent notices (every 2 weeks near expiration) might be ignored.
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Intro 0860 (Street Number Enforcement): Councilmember Brewer's bill would allow HPD and FDNY to inspect and enforce street number display. Administration supported, noting coordination with DCP on rules.
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Intro 1015 (J51 Reauthorization): Chair Sanchez's bill extends J51 for 10 years, raises assessed value threshold to $60,000, and allows HPD to update covered projects. Administration strongly supported and urged quick passage.
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Preconsidered Bill (Electronic Registration): Councilmember Banks' bill would allow online property registration with electronic signatures. HPD supported and is already seeking a vendor.
Key Outcomes
- All seven introductions were heard and laid over by the committee (no final vote). The minutes confirm hearings held and laid over for Ints 0178, 0649, 0717, 0860, 0905, 1015, and the preconsidered bill.
- Oversight hearing filed (no further action required).
- Administration commitments: HPD and DOB committed to follow up on specific data (e.g., inspector tenure, 420C utilization, permit sign-off open permits on 1-4 family homes).
- Next steps: The legislative task force on housing code reforms will launch later in September. HPD will release draft Housing Vacancy Survey report in February 2027. The Bronx plan community engagement begins late fall 2026. DOB will finalize ADU rules by end of 2026.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning and welcome to today's New York City Council hearing for the Committee on Housing and Buildings. If you would like to testify, you must fill out a witness slip with one of the sergeant at arms. At this time, please silence all electronic devices, and no one may approach Deis at any time. Chair Sanchez, we are ready to begin. Thank you, Sergeants, and good morning. I'm Councilmember Pierina Sanchez, Chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings. On behalf of the City Council, I'd like to welcome the members of the public and the administration that join us today, in person and remotely for today's oversight hearing. I'd first want to acknowledge my colleagues who are present. Majority Leader Abreu, Councilmember Hudson, Councilmember Aviles, Councilmember Maloney, Councilmember Nurse, Councilmember Wilson, Banks, Epstein Thomas Henry, and Aldebol. Today's hearing is focused on Mayor Zoran Mamdani's block by block, the housing plan for a new era, a comprehensive vision for empowering tenants, strengthening enforcement, preserving affordability, improving housing quality, expanding homeownership, and more. We begin from a reality we all know. New York City is in a profound housing crisis. Our vacancy rate has fallen to historic lows, but this crisis is not experienced equally. For the lowest income New Yorkers, housing insecurity can mean a child traveling hours from a shelter in Queens to remain in their school in the Bronx. It can mean families living with mold, vermin, insufficient heat, and the constant fear that one missed paycheck could cost them their home. In my district, where roughly 70% of households are housing cost burdened, this is the reality. And these inequities did not happen by accident. Generations of public policies have determined who could own a home, whose neighborhood received investment, and whose wealth could grow. Today, those same communities face a federal government, threatening housing assistance and the basic safety net that keeps families afloat. That's why this plan matters so much. And there is so much good in here. There is a vision of government more willing to stand up to bad actors, more willing to empower tenants, more creative about rescuing distressed buildings, more ambitious about building housing and expanding homeownership. And people are hopeful. People who have spent generations watching government work better for people and areas with money and power, are wondering whether we could actually ever shift that balance, whether tenants might have more power someday, whether working people could finally have a government willing to fight as hard for their stability as others fight for profit. Present company included. But New Yorkers have heard ambitious promises before. We have celebrated production targets before, and too often when we look back at what was actually produced, preserved, or made affordable for our lowest income neighbors, government actually fell painfully short of the moment. So today, members of the administration, I ask you to give us reason to believe. Explain to us what you could not fit on the 120 pages of block by block, or the 70 pages of the rental ripoff report, or the 40 pages of the speed report and more. How will you implement these promises? My questions will begin in four places. First, capacity. A bold housing plan cannot be implemented by understaffed agencies. If we promise a stronger, uh if we promise stronger code enforcement, roof to cellar inspections, emergency repairs, aggressive litigation and preservation, then HPD and Department of Buildings need the inspectors, attorneys, preservation staff, and institutional capacity to deliver. Second, with respect to preservation, some of our most affordable housing is also our oldest and our most distressed. We need a government capable of intervening before buildings collapse into crisis. That means capital and support for responsible owners trying to keep buildings affordable and escalating enforcement against owners who are chronically who chronically endangered tenants. So what is your distinction between high road and low road landlords mean in practice? This council represents tenants, but it also represents responsible owners, all New Yorkers. The effect of the rental overhears crisis for landlords is real. Housing court delays are real. Cash flow problems can destabilize otherwise responsible affordable buildings, including affordable co-ops, rent stabilize housing, and regulated housing. We need a preservation strategy sophisticated enough to recognize those realities as well. Third, on homelessness. We spend billions of dollars every year operating a shelter system while families desperately search for permanent homes. In discussing an all of the above approach, the plan does not speak comprehensively to the many housing voucher programs in New York City, FEPS, HAVP, Section 8, the newly created CHAP. I'm gonna do that every time I say it. City rental assistance program. Okay. And our other housing resources that could move us towards something bigger, preventing homelessness before it happens.
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