New York Governor Withdraws Housing Mandate Proposal

Bowing to pressure from local lawmakers, New York Governor Kathy Hochul will back down on her proposal to mandate housing construction in the state, according to a report by Ben Max in City & State.

“There are many other planks to Hochul’s sweeping housing platform to build 800,000 new homes over a decade. Most are expected to remain part of her 2024 agenda, such as a replacement for the expired 421-a tax break to spur rental housing development that includes some affordable housing.” A spokesperson for the governor told City & State that the governor is focusing on executive actions that can help address the housing crisis without legislative action before new legislation comes up.

The mandate would have paralleled California’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment, which allocates specific housing targets to each locality in that state. “Despite Hochul making the Housing Compact her marquee proposal and both Democratic supermajorities in the Legislature naming housing as a top priority, a bruising 2023 state budget and legislative session concluded in June with a lot of finger-pointing but no major housing policy passed.”