Committee on Land Use · Wednesday, November 19, 2025

The one where HPD told the Council its affordable-housing mandates would backfire, and got overruled anyway two months l

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Chair Salamanca opened a joint hearing on three bills that try to force HPD to build deeper and bigger: Dinowitz's Int 1433 (minimum 25% two-bed / 15% three-bed), Int 1437, and Nurse's Int 1443 (half of city-financed units must reach extremely- and very-low incomes). Members hammered the agency: even MIH Option 1 at 60% AMI ($68k for one person) is out of reach, and a 300-unit project with three three-bedrooms is 'a disservice to families.' HPD pushed back hard, rigid legislated targets create 'competing and often incompatible mandates,' undermine flexibility, and clash with Local Law 167. Dev

From the room

“intro number fourteen thirty-three, a bill sponsored by councilmember Dinowitz to address the lack of two and three bedroom affordable units”
— Rafael Salamanca, Jr.

“Intro fourteen thirty seven, a bill sponsored by Consul Member Hudson to ensure aging New Yorkers have access to a range of affordable housing”
— Rafael Salamanca, Jr.

“the ballot proposal that have streamlined the land use review process and that will now bypass the concerns of local communities with minimal affordability”
— Rafael Salamanca, Jr.

“intro 1443, a bill sponsored by councilmember nurse to ensure extremely low-income and very low-income households have sufficient access to affordable”
— Rafael Salamanca, Jr.

The decisions

01Int 1433-2025INT 1433-2025Laid over

A Local Law to amend the New York city charter and the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the citywide percentage of rental units in projects receiving city financial assistance that must be 2- and 3-bedroom units and amending the city’s fair housing plan

Heard sharp, unresolved testimony on the bedroom-mix bill, with HPD pushing back on a legislative mandate while Council members pressed for family-sized units. Land Use chair Rafael Salamanca said he apologizes to constituents for approving projects with tiny units and demanded to know why some communities get 3- and 4-bedroom apartments while the South Bronx cannot, as HPD countered that its 2023 Housing and Vacancy Survey shows low-income families leaving the city citywide and warned that mandating larger units could yield fewer affordable homes overall.

Conditions

for any project receiving city financial assistance, minimum percentage of 2- and 3-bedroom units must correspond to city financial assistance
no more than 35% of two- and three-bedroom units may be located in a single borough

Opposition & support

Supports a housing plan responsive to deep affordability, family-sized units, and seniors aging in place, but does NOT support legislating those requirements applied to all projects; believes they should be addressed in the city's term sheets, not legislation

Legislating term sheets undermines the flexibility needed over the course of a year and prevents responsiveness to local needs from HPD and developers

Legislation →ULURP case →

02Int 1437-2025INT 1437-2025Laid over

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the maximum citywide percentage of studio apartments in city-funded projects to construct rental units for older adults

A bill sponsored by Council Member Hudson would ensure aging New Yorkers have access to a range of affordable housing options.

Legislation →ULURP case →

03Int 1443-2025INT 1443-2025Laid over

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the citywide percentage of rental units in projects receiving city financial assistance that must be affordable for extremely low-income and very low-income households

HPD testified against operationalizing the deeper-affordability bill, warning it would strip program flexibility and force prescriptive per-project requirements that are hard to hit on extremely-low-income targets without federal rental assistance. Council Member Sandy Nurse spoke in favor, citing a district where 55% of residents are rent-burdened, 31% severely so, with a median household income of $63,000.

Mandatory inclusionary housing

Conditions

city-funded projects must have a minimum number of extremely low- and very low-income homes; aligns with HPD progress to date

Opposition & support

Says legislating deep affordability will restrict HPD's flexibility; supports calls for deeper affordability (has in the past and still does) but thinks it should be done through term sheets

Legislation →ULURP case →

Also in the record

Records not linked to a specific agenda item

Mandatory inclusionary housing

Option 1

Conditions

bill requirements apply over a five-year period and on a citywide basis to ensure project-by-project flexibility

Opposition & support

Notes HPD was against the 15% homeless set-aside bill

Questions & answers

Rafael Salamanca, Jr.: HUD/federal government sets AMI structure that is not adequate to actual NYC income levels — what is the city doing to ensure approved AMIs are reflective?

Rafael Salamanca, Jr.: Does HPD take inflation / cost of living (price of eggs, bread) into account when setting AMI formulas?

Rafael Salamanca, Jr.: where in the city has HPD financed three-bedroom units in the last five years

Rafael Salamanca, Jr.: how many four-bedroom units has HPD produced in the last five years

Rafael Salamanca, Jr.: does the SARA program still exist

+7 more exchanges

Citations & precedent

Local Law 167 · Lucy Joffey

Procedure

Chair thanks the HPD Commissioner/panel for their testimony, says there are no more council questions, and calls a two-minute recess to bring in the next panel. — Rafael Salamanca, Jr.
Chair calls the next public-testimony panel: Eustacia Smith, Chris Walters, and Howard Slatkin (order: Chris Walters first, then Howard Slatkin, then Eustacia Smith). — Rafael Salamanca, Jr.
Chair thanks the panel and calls up the next panel (beginning with 'Vincent'). — Rafael Salamanca, Jr.

The people

On the dais · 11

Amanda C. Farías Crystal HudsonDiana I. AyalaFrancisco P. MoyaJoann Ariola Kamillah Hanks Kevin C. Riley Pierina Ana SanchezRafael Salamanca, Jr.Selvena N. Brooks-Powers Shaun Abreu

Public testimony: 5 in favor · 1 opposed

Practitioners & applicants

Committee Clerk (unnamed) · Dan Moran · HPD official (unnamed)

The intelligence

Every parcel, owner, and applicant in this meeting, cross-referenced against Zonable’s NYC ownership, enforcement & legislative graph — the record behind the record.

Sign in for the full graph

Owner portfolios, open OATH/ECB violations, 311 & DOB permits across every parcel discussed, developer track records, and an “ask this meeting” chat.

Ask about this meeting

Chat with AI about this meeting. Free account required.

Committee on Land Use · Wednesday, November 19, 2025

The one where HPD told the Council its affordable-housing mandates would backfire, and got overruled anyway two months l

Contents & search

items

laid over

Try

From the room

“intro number fourteen thirty-three, a bill sponsored by councilmember Dinowitz to address the lack of two and three bedroom affordable units”
— Rafael Salamanca, Jr.

“Intro fourteen thirty seven, a bill sponsored by Consul Member Hudson to ensure aging New Yorkers have access to a range of affordable housing”
— Rafael Salamanca, Jr.

“the ballot proposal that have streamlined the land use review process and that will now bypass the concerns of local communities with minimal affordability”
— Rafael Salamanca, Jr.

“intro 1443, a bill sponsored by councilmember nurse to ensure extremely low-income and very low-income households have sufficient access to affordable”
— Rafael Salamanca, Jr.

The decisions

01Int 1433-2025INT 1433-2025Laid over

A Local Law to amend the New York city charter and the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the citywide percentage of rental units in projects receiving city financial assistance that must be 2- and 3-bedroom units and amending the city’s fair housing plan

Conditions

for any project receiving city financial assistance, minimum percentage of 2- and 3-bedroom units must correspond to city financial assistance
no more than 35% of two- and three-bedroom units may be located in a single borough

Opposition & support

Legislating term sheets undermines the flexibility needed over the course of a year and prevents responsiveness to local needs from HPD and developers

Legislation →ULURP case →

02Int 1437-2025INT 1437-2025Laid over

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the maximum citywide percentage of studio apartments in city-funded projects to construct rental units for older adults

A bill sponsored by Council Member Hudson would ensure aging New Yorkers have access to a range of affordable housing options.

Legislation →ULURP case →

03Int 1443-2025INT 1443-2025Laid over

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the citywide percentage of rental units in projects receiving city financial assistance that must be affordable for extremely low-income and very low-income households

Mandatory inclusionary housing

Conditions

city-funded projects must have a minimum number of extremely low- and very low-income homes; aligns with HPD progress to date

Opposition & support

Says legislating deep affordability will restrict HPD's flexibility; supports calls for deeper affordability (has in the past and still does) but thinks it should be done through term sheets

Legislation →ULURP case →

Also in the record

Records not linked to a specific agenda item

Mandatory inclusionary housing

Option 1

Conditions

bill requirements apply over a five-year period and on a citywide basis to ensure project-by-project flexibility

Opposition & support

Notes HPD was against the 15% homeless set-aside bill

Questions & answers

Rafael Salamanca, Jr.: HUD/federal government sets AMI structure that is not adequate to actual NYC income levels — what is the city doing to ensure approved AMIs are reflective?

Rafael Salamanca, Jr.: Does HPD take inflation / cost of living (price of eggs, bread) into account when setting AMI formulas?

Rafael Salamanca, Jr.: where in the city has HPD financed three-bedroom units in the last five years

Rafael Salamanca, Jr.: how many four-bedroom units has HPD produced in the last five years

Rafael Salamanca, Jr.: does the SARA program still exist

+7 more exchanges

Citations & precedent

Local Law 167 · Lucy Joffey

Procedure

Chair thanks the HPD Commissioner/panel for their testimony, says there are no more council questions, and calls a two-minute recess to bring in the next panel. — Rafael Salamanca, Jr.
Chair calls the next public-testimony panel: Eustacia Smith, Chris Walters, and Howard Slatkin (order: Chris Walters first, then Howard Slatkin, then Eustacia Smith). — Rafael Salamanca, Jr.
Chair thanks the panel and calls up the next panel (beginning with 'Vincent'). — Rafael Salamanca, Jr.

The people

On the dais · 11

Amanda C. Farías Crystal HudsonDiana I. AyalaFrancisco P. MoyaJoann Ariola Kamillah Hanks Kevin C. Riley Pierina Ana SanchezRafael Salamanca, Jr.Selvena N. Brooks-Powers Shaun Abreu

Public testimony: 5 in favor · 1 opposed

Practitioners & applicants

Committee Clerk (unnamed) · Dan Moran · HPD official (unnamed)

The intelligence

Every parcel, owner, and applicant in this meeting, cross-referenced against Zonable’s NYC ownership, enforcement & legislative graph — the record behind the record.

Sign in for the full graph

Owner portfolios, open OATH/ECB violations, 311 & DOB permits across every parcel discussed, developer track records, and an “ask this meeting” chat.

Ask about this meeting

Chat with AI about this meeting. Free account required.