From the NY Times:The push for more flexibility is coming from elected officials, community groups and building industry professionals who say unauthorized units continue to flourish despite enforcement crackdowns because they meet pressing needs: they house lower-income tenants, they help homeowners pay mortgages and they accommodate some of the city’s growing population.
Relaxing the rules, though, can be a tough sell among neighbors who see illegal units as a drain on schools, hospitals, parking and other resources.
This year, legalization has made it onto the advocacy agenda of housing groups and the platform of the Democratic mayoral nominee, Bill de Blasio, who has singled out illegal basements and “granny flats” as possible additions to the city’s rent-regulated housing stock. Mr. de Blasio lived in a basement apartment in Astoria, Queens, in the 1980s but “can’t say for sure” whether it was legal, his campaign spokesman, Dan Levitan, said.
Buildings Department officials said they received 18,126 complaints about illegal units last year, and the Queens borough president, Helen M. Marshall, said she had not heard a lot of support for the legalization effort.
“What we do hear is complaints about excessive number of residents in illegal and unsafe dwellings, multiple electrical boxes that indicate the structure is not being used legally, excessive garbage buildup and the danger of fire,” Ms. Marshall said.
9 comments:
Didn't that illegally converted house just blow up the other day - as posted on your site?
What more evidence do people need. We don't want 50 asians/latinos in the basement of the house next door!
WHAT PART OF THIS IS UNCLEAR TO OUR MORONIC POLS?
I will never vote for him.....he is not a good mayoral candidate at all!! First he is all for illegal aliens and now he's for illegal conversions!? He is out of his mind!! These illegal conversions ruin neighborhoods and make our city workers work 2x as more as they should have to! Not to mention most of them are unsafe and have not been inspected after it was built! Diblasio sucks and is not good for nyc!!
"DeBlasio has no problem with illegal conversions"
I have called numerous times on illegal conversions on my block only to have the D.O.B. leave a note on the door.
The illegal apartments are quickly multiplying in my nabe and the current and past administrations did nothing about them. What would make you think DeBlasio would do anything different ?
The operative word in illegal conversions is I-L-L-E-G-A-L.
For our Spanish speaking: ilegal
For our Arabic folks: غير شرعي
For our Chinese: 非法
For our Pakistans: غیر قانونی
Did I miss anyone, those seem to be the main culprits.
DeBalsio has no problem with illegal conversions. Yes, that is bad.
But with the exception of Tony, can you think of anyone in office in Queens that does?
How about urban think tanks that are looking out to short circuit a century's housing regulations to justify this?
Look at the breathless coverage of 'chic' shipping containers for housing.
How about all the people you send to office that vote to bring another million in NYC?
That quote by Marshall is likely something out of context.
Her record (of lack thereof) to do something in 8 years is the realty.
Again, Queens, you take one comment that fits your agenda and ignore the decade track record that doesn't. You ignore all your electeds that act stupid every time this topic is raised, and look the other way as they plan to attend a festival filled with illegals.
F*ken nitwits.
It's disgusting. It's a convenient and easy way city gov. can avoid the real problem of lack of affordable housing. Plus enforcement is no longer an issue. Problem solved!
Except, for the neighbors of these dwellings it becomes a nightmare with no end in sight.
I have called numerous times on illegal conversions on my block only to have the D.O.B. leave a note on the door.
---------------------
I mean,really. I have the same problem on my block. They really think someone will be there to open the door at 2pm on a tuesday? Come on.
It's not so much the lack of affordable housing as it is the overwhelming numbers of immigrants - both legal and illegal!!!!
Let's get rid of at least some of them - rents would go down and jobs would become available for Americans.
They are not doing the jobs that Americans don't want - they've driven down the salaries of every job that used to pay well and provide benefits.
Almost every job created these days is minimum wage with no benefits - and that's because there's always someone that will take it.
There are too many people in NYC and way too many anchor babies being born. Just walk down Roosevelt and you'll see young girls surrounded by their six kids.
It's out of control!!!! We need a 2-kid limit in NYC. Send them to another state.
How is granny supposed to support her retirement if she don't rent out the basement?
Post a Comment