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Q&A

Chair Sanchez on legal support for co-ops and AEP placement of Mitchell-Lamas

New York City Council · Jul 15, 2026 · starts 2:05:49 · 1 min 48 sec

Sanchez asks about legal support resources for co-ops and raises concerns about a Mitchell-Lama placed in the Alternative Enforcement Program. Phillips says HPD doesn't offer legal resources but can connect to nonprofits, and says AEP signals a need for preservation intervention.

Pierina Ana Sanchez

In addition to technical assistance, is there legal support that HPD makes available?

Pierina Ana Sanchez

Are there partners that offer that, or is this a gap that our city has?

Adam Phillips

Yeah, so we don't offer those types of...

Adam Phillips

of legal resources, but there are not-for-profit legal resource providers out there that hopefully we can connect those folks to.

Pierina Ana Sanchez

Any you can name so I can go back and tell?

Adam Phillips

I think we can share that after if that's okay, if any come up in my memory.

Adam Phillips

It's been a while.

Pierina Ana Sanchez

No problem.

Pierina Ana Sanchez

We can share it and we have a whole...

Pierina Ana Sanchez

Requests and ask for it.

Pierina Ana Sanchez

Perfect.

Pierina Ana Sanchez

Perfect.

Pierina Ana Sanchez

AEP and Mitchell Lamas.

Pierina Ana Sanchez

I want to make sure to get this on the record today.

Pierina Ana Sanchez

I represent a Mitchell Lama that is in the Alternative Enforcement Program, which makes absolutely no sense from the perspective of wanting to preserve affordable housing, but then we're, you know, as a city

Pierina Ana Sanchez

giving these buildings all these violations and increasing their debts to the city and their financial responsibilities.

Pierina Ana Sanchez

What is the position of the administration on Mitchell Lamas and affordable developments being in the AEP program?

Adam Phillips

I mean, so there's a, when you look at the development side and the pipeline of projects coming through HPD and then the code enforcement side, there is,

Adam Phillips

and I think there always has been kind of a pretty strong firewall to ensure that the housing maintenance code is being enforced appropriately.

Adam Phillips

AEP, when a building's in AEP, it's a really good indication that a larger preservation and stabilization outcome needs to happen.

Adam Phillips

And we should be able to divert, not divert, but apply resources to those.

Adam Phillips

types of projects to get them out of AEP.

Pierina Ana Sanchez

Thank you.

Pierina Ana Sanchez

Look forward to more conversation on that.