NYC Council Speaker Julie Menin is slated to announce a set of proposed changes in city housing regulations aimed at creating up to 35,000 new units on small lots across the city by cutting “unnecessary regulations and red tape,” according to her office.
The changes, which the speaker is expected to announce at an awards luncheon for the American Institute of Architects Friday afternoon, would take aim at the city’s construction rules for smaller residential buildings in order to encourage developers to build on smaller parcels.
“Across the five boroughs, there are thousands of small, underutilized lots that have the potential to deliver tens of thousands of new homes, but outdated rules and unnecessary red tape are standing in the way,” Menin said in a statement. “… At a moment when vacancy is at historic lows and rents are at record highs, we have an obligation to act boldly and deliver real results for New Yorkers.”
The proposed changes are intended to entice developers into constructing smaller buildings on nearly 3,000 lots across the five boroughs that might otherwise sit vacant.
Menin’s plans include a proposal to reduce the number of staircases required from two to one, and changing trash room requirements. A spokesperson for the speaker said these changes would free up square footage for housing, as well as make it easier to build residential buildings of up to eight stories, which are generally rented or sold at lower prices than bigger buildings.
The two-staircases rule has been seen as a safety feature to allow for different ways to exit a building during emergencies, like fires. But in recent years, several different jurisdictions have looked at easing those rules.
The speaker’s office said it didn’t anticipate any increased fire risks with the proposed changes, and that it would work with the Fire Department in developing the plan.
Menin was also expected Friday to announce the creation of a new Council Advisory Group on Housing Affordability, co-chaired by Barika Williams, executive director of the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development, Gary LaBarbera, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council and James H. Simmons III, CEO of Ashland Capital Partners.