In a change from last year, the administration of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio would let some residential developers double or even triple-dip into affordable housing subsidy pools for the same projects.
This is a reversal of a policy that would have eliminated double dipping. It came to light as two affordable housing measures were being debated.
One is a property tax exemption called 421-a that would require developers to set aside 25% to 30% of apartments in new buildings as affordable housing. Another, known as mandatory inclusionary zoning, would require that developers set aside up to 30% of all new condo or rental buildings as affordable on rezoned property.
The latter policy must be approved by the City Council. The relationship between the many programs that generate and govern affordable housing is complicated. How the two programs interact with each other, provided they both end up as law, remains to be seen, according to Crain’s New York Business.
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