NEW YORK – Mayor Eric Adams is demanding Albany pass a plan that he said will lead to 100,000 affordable apartments.
The units will house the homeless, and they’ll give asylum seekers arriving in New York City a place to stay.
An empty lot in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn could be a small piece of the solution to the city’s housing crisis: A $200 million, 300 apartment complex, including 75 so-called affordable units that could shelter the homeless or house asylum seekers that could be built if Albany lawmakers help out by approving a tax abatement law.
“We need action now,” Adams said.
Desperate for housing, Adams asked lawmakers to approve a package of bills that could help create 100,000 units of affordable housing.
This comes as the city is getting ready to use a hangar at John F. Kennedy International Airport to house over 800 asylum seekers. Chopper 2 found several trailers with showers and bathrooms outside the sprawling warehouse. A spokesman for Gov. Kathy Hochul said the move is awaiting FAA approval.
Meanwhile, standing with union leaders and housing advocates, the mayor outlined the steps he wants lawmakers to take. Bills to:
- Provide tax abatements to developers to build affordable housing
- Lessen the requirements for converting office space into apartments
- Make it easier to convert basements and cellars into legal accomodations
“The table is set. It’s now time for Albany to serve the right meal, and the right meal is a combined housing plan,” Adams said.
Adding to the problem, New York City is now on track to receive a small fraction – less than $40 million – out of an $800 million pot of emergency funding from FEMA to cope with asylum seekers. The mayor and the budget director said it may force the city to cut services.
“It’s a scary proposition,” Budget Director Jacques Jiha said. “So far, of April, we spent $1 billion and are expecting to spend $1.4 billion this fiscal year, and $2.9 billion by next fiscal year.”
“Every service in the city is going to be impacted by this asylum and migrant crisis,” Adams said.
The mayor and the city council have to agree on a new budget by the end of the month.