MIH Moves to City Council

On Wednesday the City Planning Commission (CPC) voted to approve the de Blasio Administration’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) proposal, with a few modifications. MIH is now officially in the hands of City Council, which has until approximately the end of March to vote on MIH. The Council has the power to reshape the Mayor’s MIH proposal over the next 2 months. Local community groups will be looking to the Council to revise MIH and make it a tool that can actually help meet the needs of all New Yorkers – particularly the lowest-income members of our communities, who are most in need of affordable housing.The CPC modifications were positive, but do not address the core issue of deep affordability that so many ANHD groups have raised. The modifications change how a developer can apply for a waiver from the MIH regulations. The modified MIH proposal now requires that any developer’s application for a MIH wavier claiming “financial hardship” must also include a financial review by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, which has staff with real estate finance and underwriting expertise.This is in addition to the previously-required review before the only the Board of Standards and Appeals, which primarily has an oversight and administrative review capacity. ANHD supports the MIH modification incorporated by the CPC, which will help to ensure that any developer’s application to escape affordability requirements is absolutely necessary and proven.

This change is helpful to ensure the efficacy of the MIH policy. However, unless the de Blasio Administration’s MIH proposal is significantly improved, it will not create the guaranteed, truly affordable housing that many neighborhoods are demanding.

The City Council has scheduled an MIH hearing for Tuesday, Feb. 9th in order to hear the Administration’s revised proposal, and get answers from the Administration on the many issues and questions that remain unaddressed as quickly as possible.

ANHD’s testimony at the upcoming City Council hearing will be based on our Position Points and our Analysis of the MIH Feasibility Study. ANHD and community groups from across the city will call to:

Alone, MIH will not meet the full affordability needs of our neighborhoods. But, MIH can and should set a new floor, which local communities and other affordable housing tools can then build on top of.
As a city, we cannot afford to miss this opportunity to create a new and effective centerpiece housing program.