Last Minute Push in Albany to Allow Supersized Buildings in Residential NYC Neighborhoods

As the legislative session nears the end in Albany, there is a renewed push to repeal the State cap on the size of residential buildings in NYC. Although enormous new residential buildings are going up all over NYC, including many of 1,000 feet in height or greater, this is not enough for proponents of lifting the cap, who want no limit whatsoever. This would allow the Mayor to upzone residential neighborhoods throughout New York City, promoting an ever-more massive scale of development that would largely consist of luxury, market-rate housing.  

We have defeated two attempts by this coalition to repeal the cap – in 2016 and earlier this year when they tried to sneak it into the State budget. However, much as GVSHP predicted, they are at it again, trying to see the repeal passed in the last weeks of the legislative session, without public hearings or analysis (it’s already passed one Senate committee).  

Fortunately, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie issued a strong statement explaining why the Assembly majority rejected the proposed repeal as part of the State Budget – read it here. We need to reach all our state legislators, however, and make sure they know we do not want this repeal passed UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

TO HELP:

June 4, 2018