Affordable Housing Plan Bills Passed

On Thursday, the New York City Council held a stated meeting and passed 8 pieces of legislation including bills related to the City’s affordable housing plan. Introduction 601 will require the city to specifically detail how many affordable units the plan set out to create or preserve, and report on the number of units that were actually created. The legislation also mandates that the city provides details on the current demand for affordable housing any outline any challenges to meet those demands. Coupled with Intro. 601, is Introduction 607which seeks to address historic patterns of racial segregation by requiring the city to promote fair housing by taking meaningful action to address housing disparities.The Council also passed a set of bills called the “Rat Mitigation Package” to increase enforcement and penalties for unlawful littering. These bills will now go to Mayor de Blasio’s desk for a final signature before they become law.

Transportation Bills Introduced

Also at the stated meeting on Thursday, the City Council introduced 29 new bills including two bills sponsored by Speaker Corey Johnson to create an ombudsman within the Department of Transportation to address community concerns and complaints specifically on the shutdown of the L Train. Speaker Johnson also introduced a bill to create community centersfor information and resources related to the shutdown, set to take place next April. On Wednesday, the Council held an oversight hearing to examine the city's mitigation plan, which includes the Metropolitan Transit Authority running 80 buses an hour with increased subway service on the C, G and E rail lines. The plan can be read here.

Impacts of City Partnerships

On Wednesday, Mayor de Blasio released,“New York City Partnerships: Strategic Partnerships for a More Inclusive and Equitable City.” The report highlighted the impact of three types of partnerships: Partnerships that Develop and Test Innovative, Evidence Based Models, Partnerships that Drive Systems Change and Partnerships that Enlist Private Capital to Complement, Enhance and Leverage Public Investment. The administration said over the last four years, $400 million dollars has been raised through public-private partnerships to address inequality through city affiliated funds, including the Mayor’s Fund for New York City and the Fund for Public Health NYC.