Q&A
Concerns about affordability and conditions in Mitchell-Lama units
1:15:07
·
122 sec
Council Member Dinowitz raises concerns about significant rent increases and poor living conditions in Mitchell-Lama apartments, questioning whether these units can still be considered affordable. He cites examples of 20-70% rent increases and maintenance issues in buildings in his district.
- Specific examples include Tracy Towers facing 22% rent increases and Canon Heights facing 44-70% increases
- Building conditions issues include broken elevators, holes in ceilings, and delayed repairs
- The discussion highlights the gap between the existence of 'affordable' units and their actual affordability and livability
Eric Dinowitz
1:15:07
So I I just wanna talk about that, the keep affordability.
1:15:10
Yeah.
1:15:10
Because that's a phrase you use, and preserving affordable units doesn't just mean the existence of units deemed affordable.
1:15:18
We've been through this before at hearings.
1:15:21
When one of my rental units, Tracy Towers, is facing 20 2% rent increases and other and Canon Heights in my district 44% to 70% depending on the maintenance you're looking at, that to me does not indicate affordability.
1:15:37
Those units still exist.
1:15:39
But on top of that, the the conditions of the building are almost unlivable.
1:15:46
At Tracy Towers, they have always had one broken elevator that when one gets fixed another break.
1:15:52
There are holes in the ceiling, as I've mentioned before, they it took a month to get the batteries changed in the smoke detector.
1:16:00
In their community room, which I would think given the fire situation, that would be a basic thing.
1:16:07
And so have any more efforts been made to preserve not just the existence of units you deem affordable, but the actual affordability of these units with better financing loans, cash infusion into the investments investments into our affordable housing.
Adolfo Carrión Jr.
1:16:25
Let let me just say frame this a little bit.
1:16:29
I I want to pass it over to the first deputy commissioner to give a little more texture.
1:16:33
But the the rents in Mitchellamas are affordable rents by almost any standard.
1:16:44
The reason that some of these large increases happen is because of delayed increases in in rent.
Jimmy Oddo
1:16:55
So
Adolfo Carrión Jr.
1:16:55
Or or or Sorry.
Eric Dinowitz
1:16:57
So I just have to pause there because that may be partially true, but that's also a different answer.
1:17:02
Or then was given to us, which is that insurance costs
Adolfo Carrión Jr.
1:17:06
Well, no.
1:17:06
No.
1:17:06
I was gonna I was gonna put some more onto that.
1:17:08
Right?
Eric Dinowitz
1:17:09
Dumped the gun.