2 MAY 12 – MAY 18, 2017 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP Local pols announce the passage of a bill that could help curb illegal conversions BY JAIME DEJESUS [email protected] On Wednesday, May 10, a bevy of local lawmakers gathered at the steps of City Hall to announce that the City Council had voted unanimously for legislation that will increase penalties for illegally converted homes and hopefully curb the issue as a whole. The bill, Intro 1218-A, also known as the Aggravated Illegal Conversion Bill, raises the stakes for those who allow three or more illegal dwelling units to be created within one structure due to the dangers it causes to tenants — an issue that has run rampant in neighborhoods like Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst and beyond. The bill passed 49-0. “Substandard housing is not affordable housing,” said Councilmember Vincent Gentile. who introduced the bill in June of last year. “Seeking to maximize profit at the expense of tenant safety will no longer be permissible by the City of New York once this bill is signed into law. By removing the profit motive from unscrupulous owners, this bill will help protect tenants from imminently life-threatening conditions, increase the safety of first responders in emergency situations, safeguard our overburdened infrastructure systems, and maintain the quality of life in our communities.” The bill creates a hefty $15,000 fine for each individual unit that is three or more units above the Certificate of Occupancy. If the fine is unpaid for one year, the lien can be sold by the city. It will also institutionalize the process of obtaining an access warrant to an alleged aggravated illegal subdivision. Under the new bill, after two unsuccessful attempts to gain access, the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) will then request the Law Department apply for an access warrant, allowing for a much smoother entry process. The issue has been ongoing for years in southern Brooklyn. This past January, a Dyker Heights home was issued a full vacate order after DOB officials found that it had been illegally converted from a two-family home to an eight-family home, housing just over two dozen people at 1178 65th Street . President of the Brooklyn Housing Preservation Alliance Bob Cassara applauded the bill. “It is the start to reversing a problem that has plagued our city over 30 years,” he said, “I think we should congratulate our councilman and all our political and community leaders for their perseverance to get the job done." “Today, we take a positive step toward advancing safer communities to raise healthy children and families,” added Borough President Eric Adams. “Today, we respond to the countless tragedies that have senselessly claimed lives due to critically substandard housing conditions.” Congressmember Dan Donovan also weighed in. “Illegal conversions pose a serious danger to tenants and the surrounding community, including neighbors and first-responders that face unnecessary risks from health and safety hazards,” he said. According to the Brooklyn Housing Preservation Alliance, of the 448 illegally converted homes reported in Community Board 10 in 2015, the DOB was able to access 246 homes, a 25 percent increase from 2014. Where the DOB got access, 35.6 percent of the homes were issued code violations, an increase from 19.7 percent in 2014. Overall, since 2014, there has been a 300 percent increase in vacate orders for the two neighborhoods. "All in all, Intro 1218-A will serve as strong deterrents on the front end and, if needed, strong enforcement tools on the back end to combat the proliferation of aggravated illegal residential conversions," said Gentile. Additional reporting by Meaghan McGoldrick NYC VOTES LAUNCHES FORUM INITIATIVE NYC Votes, the voter engagement initiative of the New York City Campaign Finance Board, has launched a new program to bring candidate forums to communities throughout the five boroughs, including Bay Ridge. NYC Votes is looking to partner with local community organization to host the nonpartisan forums. Community organizations that are interested can apply online. The organizations will be selected based on their capacity, ability to conduct nonpartisan voter engagement activities, and plan to attract a diverse turnout. The selected organizations will host forums in one or more City Council races, including southwest Brooklyn’s 43rd Council District, as well as receive a grant of $1,500 per event. Applications are due by Friday, June 2 at 5 p.m. For more information, visit nyccfb.info/nyc-votes. —Patrick Weinberg SENATE BILL WOULD CLASSIFY CRIMES AGAINST COPS AS HATE CRIMES On Tuesday, May 9, the New York State Senate passed the “Community Heroes Protection Act,” which would make crimes that are explicitly committed against law enforcement and first responders punishable as hate crimes. In current law, police officers and first responders are not included as victims under the current definition of a hate crime. The Community Heroes Protection Act comes on the heels of 135 law enforcement officers being killed in 2016, the most in almost five years, simply because of their jobs. The bill has been sent to the Assembly, where it is sponsored by Assemblymember Peter Abbate. It was co-sponsored in the Senate by State Senator Marty Golden, a former NYPD police officer. —Patrick Weinberg SEVEN BROOKLYN EDUCATORS SNAG BIG APPLE AWARDS Seven Brooklyn educators are among the 19 recipients of the New York City Department of Education’s Big Apple Awards, a recognition program that celebrates the work of the city’s full-time public school educators. They include Danielle Boccino (fifth grade teacher, P.S. 215, Gravesend), Adriana DiScipio (English as a New Language teacher, P.S. 230, Kensington), Katie McArdle (elementary autism teacher, P.S. 231, Borough Park), Faye Michalakos (sixth grade math teacher, Hellenic Classical Charter School, Park Slope) and Diana Shteynberg (pre-K teacher, Shorefront YM-YWHA, Brighton Beach), chosen from more than 7,800 nominations. They will have the opportunity to serve as Big Apple Fellows, becoming ambassadors for their profession. They will also be invited to serve on DOE Chancellor Carmen Fariña’s Teacher Advisory Group, which has a say in DOE policy. —Jonathan Sperling Photo courtesy of City Councilmember Vincent Gentile Councilmember Vincent Gentile announces and celebrates the City Council's passage of a bill that would help curb illegal conversions.
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