Includes additional community districts in which pilot programs to address the legalization or conversion of certain basement and cellar dwellings can be established by local law.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A597
SPONSOR: Gonzalez-Rojas TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the multiple dwelling law, in relation to the community
districts in which pilot programs to address the legalization or conver-
sion of certain basement and cellar dwellings can be established by
local law
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This legislation adds four community districts to the list of fifteen
districts included in PART S of the ELFA Budget bill, chapter 56 of the
laws of 2024.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends general municipal law section 289 (4), which was added
as part of the 2024 enacted budget, and which established a pilot base-
ment and cellar legalization and conversion program, by adding Brooklyn
Community District 5 and Queens Districts 1, 3, and 5 to the list of
fifteen districts included in the budget bill.
Section 2 provides for the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
The four community districts this bill will add to the pilot program are
communities in which the issue of legalization of basement or cellar
conversions have significant support due to the dire need for such
conversions in those communities. These are also areas in which trage-
dies have occurred due to unsafe conditions in illegally converted base-
ments or cellars. The sponsors of this bill represent the communities
being added to the pilot program.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2024: Introduced. Referred to Housing Committee
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
Unknown.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately and shall be deemed to have been
in full force and effect on and after April 20, 2024.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
597
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY(Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GONZALEZ-ROJAS, EPSTEIN, BORES, RAGA, LEVENBERG,
CRUZ -- read once and referred to the Committee on Housing
AN ACT to amend the multiple dwelling law, in relation to the community
districts in which pilot programs to address the legalization or
conversion of certain basement and cellar dwellings can be established
by local law
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 4 of section 289 of the multiple dwelling law,
2 as added by section 1 of part S of chapter 56 of the laws of 2024, is
3 amended to read as follows:
4 4. The program established by a local law enacted pursuant to this
5 section shall be applicable only within community districts selected by
6 the local legislative body from the following list: Bronx Community
7 District nine; Bronx Community District ten; Bronx Community District
8 eleven; Bronx Community District twelve; Brooklyn Community District
9 four; Brooklyn Community District five; Brooklyn Community District ten;
10 Brooklyn Community District eleven; Brooklyn Community District seven-
11 teen; Manhattan Community District two; Manhattan Community District
12 three; Manhattan Community District nine; Manhattan Community District
13 ten; Manhattan Community District eleven; Manhattan Community District
14 twelve; [and] Queens Community District one; Queens Community District
15 two; Queens Community District three; and Queens Community District
16 four. Prior to the adoption of the local law authorized by this section,
17 but no later than ninety days after the effective date of this article,
18 the community board of a community district named in this subdivision
19 may adopt and submit to the speaker of the city council a resolution in
20 support or opposition of the inclusion of the community district in the
21 program established by the local law authorized by this article.
22 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall be deemed to
23 have been in full force and effect on and after April 20, 2024.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01006-01-5
