Real Estate
East New York Basement Housing Program To Get Mayor's OK
Mayor Bill de Blasio will sign a bill into law Monday that will launch a $12 million affordable housing program in East New York.
EAST NEW YORK, BROOKLYN -- Mayor Bill de Blasio will sign into law a new pilot program to transform East New York basements into affordable apartments, officials announced.
The legislation, which will allow homeowners in Brooklyn's Community Board 4 to upgrade uninhabitable basements and transform them into affordable housing units, can be signed by the mayor after City Council voted to approve Brad Lander's bill on Feb. 13, city records show.
The Department of Housing Preservation will provide local homeowners with $12 million in low-interest loans and grants to improve basements in a process that will be overseen by HPD, the Department of Buildings and the Department of City Planning, city records show.
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The Basement Apartments Safe for Everyone (BASE) coalition has been advocating for the program for at least a decade, according to a Curbed report.
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