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TESTIMONY
Testimony by Benjamin Kallos, Former New York City Council Member, proposing housing and affordability charter amendments
2:20:15
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3 min
Former City Council Member Benjamin Kallos presents numerous charter amendment proposals focused on housing supply and affordability.
Key proposals include: a vacancy tax, expanding programs to repair rent-regulated units, using shelter funds to buy market-rate housing for the homeless, setting affordability based on local census block income instead of AMI, requiring replacement of lost rent-regulated units, counting people instead of units to incentivize family-sized apartments, and funding community-led planning efforts.
He also touches upon member deference, stating his district saw high housing production.
Benjamin Kallos
2:20:15
Distinguished members of the Charter Revision Commission, thank you for your individual service to the people of this great city, for your partnership, that I had with many of you when I served in the council, and for your service on this Charter Revision Commission.
2:20:27
Through charter revision, we've been able to empower voters to adopt big, bold changes that could not have been accomplished any other way.
2:20:35
Following one charter revision where I testified, the voters adopted the eight to one public matching that paved the way for the full public matching system I authored that allows anyone to run on small dollars.
2:20:46
I prepared three minute summary of detailed testimony, which I welcome an opportunity to discuss further with commissioners and staff.
2:20:52
I'm proposing 18 amendments to the charter along six main themes.
2:20:59
The first theme is let's increase housing supply.
2:21:03
Let's get a vacancy tax.
2:21:04
There's 200 sorry, 20,000 apartments previously used for short term rental back that are not back on the market.
2:21:13
Let's expand the law you're already authored to cover every multifamily housing unit and then tax the vacant units.
2:21:19
Number two, let's renovate and repair rent regulated apartments.
2:21:23
Let's get 90,000 rent regulated apartments back on the market by overhauling unlocking doors.
2:21:29
Let's increase it from 25,000 a unit to a hundred thousand a unit.
2:21:33
Let's use market rate housing to house the homeless.
2:21:37
It cost the city $8,000 a month to shelter a family.
2:21:42
I proposed with Fred Shack that we use this money to buy market rate apartments for homeless families in every community including the Upper East Side.
2:21:49
This would be less expensive even on the Upper East Side, and it would be permanently affordable housing.
2:21:56
While we're at it, number four, stop predatory equity from buying houses for families.
2:22:01
These are all things that you can do.
2:22:03
You can change the charter.
2:22:05
It's like being council member.
2:22:07
It's awesome.
2:22:08
The second theme is delivery, deliver affordable housing for more New Yorkers.
2:22:12
Let's set the median income for affordable housing to the census block instead of the area median income.
2:22:17
The median household income in East Harlem neighborhood tabulation area, which I represented, was $39,490, while the area median income is a hundred and $79,355.
2:22:30
I think we should just use the local number.
2:22:32
I don't think people making a hundred and $80,000 should be getting that affordable housing.
2:22:37
We can replace rent regulated affordable housing torn down to make way for new mixed income buildings.
2:22:43
In my district, would regularly see four brownstones with 80 rent regulated units replaced by a brand new luxury building that had a fraction of the units and very little if any affordable housing.
2:22:56
I'd also love to count the number of people getting affordable housing instead of units.
2:23:00
This would reorient the city from studios and one bedrooms to two, three, and four bedrooms families actually need.
2:23:07
Similarly, where the market has failed to actually build two, three, and four family units, we need to require it as part of every new development.
2:23:15
Third theme, building more housing.
2:23:18
I don't know how much more time I may be granted, but I'll just, wrap up and just say, there's a lot that we can do.
2:23:30
We could also empower communities in the rezoning process.
2:23:33
Please take a gander at the testimony.
2:23:35
I know there's also been a lot of conversation around member deference.
2:23:39
I read editorials about myself and member deference all the time.
2:23:43
I just like to note that in my district, we had more housing starts than anywhere else in the city while was a council member.
2:23:49
The the former planning chair can correct me on that.
2:23:52
We had a thousand units of affordable housing, including on Roosevelt Island where one of you lives.
2:23:57
We welcome new housing, shelters, and services for the homeless, And so I would really be interested to learn more about some of the questions about afford about member deference because I'm I'm not sure where there's districts where there's no housing happening.