Community Coalitions Change City Rules | The New York Community Trust

January 31, 2019 | By The New York Community Trust

Community Coalitions Change City Rules

RENTER PROTECTION: Renters in Ossining were facing rent hikes that made their homes unaffordable. With funding from the Westchester Community Foundation, Community Voices Heard helped win passage of the Emergency Tenant Protection Act. This work created 1,200 new rent stabilized apartments in the Village of Ossining and froze rents for a year for tenants living in them.

Local efforts shape protections for renters

Plans for real estate development in once-ignored New York neighborhoods now need more than a pretty presentation to win public support.

That’s because local coalitions anchored by longstanding community organizations in places such as East New York, East Harlem, and Jerome Avenue in the Bronx are taking an active part in decisions about rezoning and redevelopment.

Funded with $550,000 from The Trust through the Neighborhoods First Fund for Community Based Planning, the organizations work to protect affordable housing and avoid displacement. The coalitions enable residents to evaluate proposed projects, negotiate details, and voice local concerns.

Citywide, their efforts helped win tenants’ right to counsel in housing court and rules that require landlords seeking to alter their buildings to prove they haven’t harassed tenants. They also increased the number of housing units affordable to the lowest-income households under mandatory inclusionary zoning, won adjustments to height and density proposals, and convinced the City to invest more in local schools and infrastructure.