Peter Estes (ANHD) on preservation, code enforcement, and COPA

I was going to say, I could take the extra time.

I'll get the two of them.

Great.

Hello, everyone.

My name is Peter Estes, and I'm the Senior Housing Policy Associate at the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development, A&HD, representing 80 community-based orgs across the city.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

I'll just highlight a few points now and then submit our full comments afterwards.

First, I'd like to touch on the housing plan's focus on preservation.

A&HD believes that preservation of existing affordable housing must be a priority for New York City, and we're pleased that the block-by-block housing plan treats it as such.

Both before and after the housing plan's release, we and our members have had productive conversations with the HPD team, and we are all particularly eager for the rollout of the tools program outlined in the plan in as many buildings as possible as quickly as possible.

These measures are urgently needed to stabilize at-risk buildings, and we encourage the department to undertake proactive outreach to enroll as many buildings as quickly as possible.

We're also looking forward to working with the administration and the council to identify options for housing court diversion for 100% affordable housing.

And finally, while we are pleased that the Mamdani administration is experimenting with a public insurance option, we have concerns about timing, access, and scale, and which buildings will be prioritized, which are outlined in detail in our written testimony.

Moving on to code enforcement.

Block by Block rightly emphasizes the critical importance of improving the city's system for enforcing the housing maintenance code.

The focus on overhauling the system is welcome, and A&HD wholeheartedly...

It supports the administration's approach of proactive enforcement targeting low-road landlords, expansion of various enforcement programs, and improved systems for engaging with tenants.

ANHD is also eager to work with the administration and the council to pursue deeper reforms not yet discussed in detail in the administration's plans.

These include making it easier for tenants to withhold rent and receive abatements when faced with persistent violations, increasing penalty amounts, and establishing clear guardrails for any penalty adjustments.

Briefly on new construction, ANHD does commend the administration for an increased commitment to building deeply affordable housing in contrast to previous housing plans.

However, as just referenced by my colleague here, the commitments in block by block still do not come close to meeting the scale of the need for affordable housing at the lowest income levels.

Lastly, ANHD does urge the council to pass COPA, which is a valuable tool to empower tenants and help bring more housing into permanent affordability and responsible mission-driven ownership for long-term preservation.

Thank you.

Excellent.

Thank you so much to this panel.

Thank you.

Daniel Manley, Robert Foster, Katie Mui, Maritza Rico.

And Kevin Kaprowski from Live on New York.

And whoever is ready can begin.