The Town Board met on Tuesday evening from about 7 PM to midnight to discuss the proposed tax breaks for the owners of 33 Oak Street, 90 Manhattan Ave, 100 Manhattan Ave. These buildings provide some Greenburgh tenants with affordable housing. We met with representatives of the Fairview Housing Development Fund Company and Oak Street housing. Tenant representatives also attended the meeting.
I am requesting that the Town Board not vote on the tax break proposal tonight. Among issues discussed at the meeting are the following:
1) Some tenants are concerned that if the agreement is approved their rents could double within a year. There should be a longer phase in period.
2) Before approving any tax break proposal there should be an inventory of the building-- an independent assessment of the condition of the building, what repairs/renovations have to be completed.
3) Tenants should be given a voice in determining what repairs will be completed in their buildings.
4) The potential owners of the building claim that most of the residents won't see their rents double because they will be eligible for vouchers. What happens if the voucher program is discontinued by the federal government --or significantly cut? Will the building become unaffordable.
Before tax breaks are given we should do our due diligence and address these concerns.
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7 comments:
Good suggestions. Tax breaks should be considered to keep housing affordable. The Town Board has an obligation to make sure that controls are in place and that the dollars are used properly. Tenants should have significant input.
I still want to understand why tax breaks are appropriate -- and if they are what standards are used, and why should not every property meeting those standards receive the same breaks.
Also, if the repairs are code violations, there should not be tax breaks to bring buildings up to code
Yea, exactly. How does one qualify for a tax break in the first place?
I can understand the tenants are nervous. To me, good news with the recent election, is that Barney Frank, a democrat from Mass., will be the chair of the House Finance Comm. Mr. Frank is a strong proponent of low income housing. I think there should be less concern that Section 8 Vouchers will be reduced. Mr. Frank may also push for more mortgage programs for tenants to purchase housing.
I did not watch all of Town Council meeting last night, so I do not know what was approved. One thing I would like to see is the sale be subject to an option by the tenants to purchase the housing. If they can obtain favorable financing from the federal govt, this is the best long term solution for everyone.
How is any of this landlord-tenant stuff a matter of town government?
It's nice to be listened to. Supervisor Feiner warned us about the tax breaks. Guess what? Now, the owners claim they don't need the tax cuts! Feiner saved the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. Kudo's!
I'm glad - the tax breaks were a bad idea.
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