City to partner with community organizations to finance creation of safe, quality basement apartments in East New York
Today, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed landmark legislation to create a pathway for transforming certain basement and cellar apartments into safe, legal, affordable homes. The new law establishes a three-year demonstration program to facilitate the creation and renovation of apartments in the basements and cellars of qualifying one- and two-family homes in Brooklyn Community District 5.
“There are thousands of basement apartments in our City, but too many are illegal and unsafe. This program will help New Yorkers secure safe, affordable homes and give homeowners a new legal source of income,” said Mayor de Blasio.
Residents in illegal basement and cellar apartments typically have no lease, limited rights, and live in substandard conditions. This new law will add to New York City’s existing housing stock by allowing property owners to create safe, legal, and affordable apartments in their buildings. The City will also use the pilot to learn about how to overcome barriers that owners face when seeking to convert basement units.
Last summer, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development released a Request for Expressions of Interest to identify a Community Based Organization to administer the program. HPD will partner with Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation (CHLDC), a local non-profit that will subcontract with four community non-profits. The program will provide eligible low- to middle-income homeowners living in one- to three-family homes in East New York and Cypress Hills, Brooklyn with low or no-interest loans to convert their basements into safe, legal, and rentable apartments, based on the altered Building Code. The homeowner will also be provided with the technical assistance needed to close on a loan and complete the construction project. Homeowners can learn more by calling 311 or visiting nyc.gov/basementconversion.
“Finding a path to create safe, legal basement apartments that will add to our city’s affordable housing stock while stabilizing homeowners is an idea whose time has come,” said Department of Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer. “We are grateful to Councilmembers Lander, Espinal, and Barron for their leadership on this issue and our partner City agencies for helping us to advance this innovative pilot program that promises to unlock more safe, quality housing opportunities.”
“The Buildings Department is pleased to join our colleagues in city government to promote the Mayor’s vision for affordable housing. This legislation varies several existing city code standards and provides additional protections to help homeowners build safe and legal cellar and basement dwelling units in certain properties in Brooklyn. We thank the City Council and our partner agencies for their work to enact legislation creating this important new program,” said Acting Buildings Commissioner Thomas Fariello, RA.
Modifications of code standards include minimum ceiling heights and window sizes in basement and cellar spaces and strengthened requirements for emergency egress and fire safety. Each proposed modification to the code standards for this program took into account the health and safety of residents. The changes will modify requirements in order to reduce costs and facilitate conversion of new residential units.
Brooklyn’s Community District 5, including East New York, has an existing building stock of one- and two-family homes that makes it ideal for the launch of this program. The basement conversion pilot program was a commitment made under the East New York Neighborhood Plan, and is the result of a study conducted by a working group convened in October, 2016. This working group was comprised of Administration officials, elected officials including Council Member Espinal; Community groups, residents and housing advocates including CHLDC, Community Development Project at Urban Justice Center, CHHAYA CDC, Pratt Center for Community Development, Coalition for Community Advancement - Progress for East New York/Cypress Hills.
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