Rosenthal L, Epstein, O'Donnell, Bichotte Hermelyn, De Los Santos
 
MLTSPNSR
 
Amd §301, Mult Dwell L
 
Authorizes any dwelling with a certificate authorizing occupancy as a Class B hotel to also authorize occupancy of such units in such dwelling for permanent residence purposes.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A6262A
SPONSOR: Cymbrowitz
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the multiple dwelling law, in relation to authorizing
any dwelling with a certificate authorizing occupancy as a Class B hotel
to also authorize occupancy of such units in such dwelling for permanent
residence purposes
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
Relates to authorizing any dwelling with a certificate authorizing occu-
pancy as a Class B hotel to also be used for permanent residence
purposes.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends Section 301 of the multiple dwelling law to add a new
subdivision 7 that allows hotels to be used as permanent housing while
still retaining their Group 5 status and preexisting Certificates of
Occupancy.
Section 2 sets forth the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
As the COVID-19 pandemic has left most of the world under severe travel
restrictions and as tourist destinations, conferences, and events in New
York have been restricted for nearly a year, thousands of hotel rooms
sit empty across the city of New York. This bill would allow hotel rooms
to be converted to permanent housing in a city desperately lacking in
supportive and affordable housing stock. The bill would permit these
conversions to be done without cost-prohibitive land use review proc-
esses or renovations in order to keep costs attainable for supportive
and affordable housing providers, with oversight provided by the New
York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Only
hotels within 800 feet of a residential district would be eligible for
conversion pursuant to this bill, to ensure that any tenants would have
access to the appropriate residential resources and amenities. This bill
seeks to help solve two outstanding issues facing the city: a lack of
affordable housing and underutilized hotel space.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
Minimal. Increased occupancy of otherwise vacant hotel space may result
in a net increase in tax revenue.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.