Governor Kathy Hochul’s groundbreaking housing proposal has been withdrawn from ongoing state budget discussions, according to overnight reporting by NY1. The state spending plan, which is 20+ days overdue, has been the subject of negotiations between Hochul and legislative leaders.
Hochul aimed to introduce major policy changes, such as adjustments to bail laws and an innovative housing initiative called the Housing Compact. While the governor seems to have secured some of the criminal justice alterations she proposed, her Housing Compact was not supported by legislators.
They opposed her plan to allow the state to override local zoning regulations for affordable housing projects, which intended to compel localities to achieve a 3% growth in affordable housing within three years.
As a result, sources reveal that the budget will no longer include any significant housing initiatives. Additionally, nearly all other housing-related topics have been removed from the budget talks. This includes the renewal of the 421-a tax abatement, which promotes affordable housing construction in the city and expired last year, as well as the contentious “Good Cause Eviction” proposal. The latter aimed to significantly strengthen tenant rights over property owners but has also been dropped from negotiations.
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