Committee on Housing and Buildings meeting
February 9, 2026, 10:00 AM
The Committee on Housing and Buildings held an oversight hearing on shared housing in New York City and heard six related bills, including Int 0421-2026 on cellar ancillary dwelling unit occupancy, Int 0066-2026 with broader building code changes, and Int 0427-2026 on how affordable housing units in certain projects are counted.
What was discussed
- HPD and DOB testify on shared housing and the bill package Council Member Virginia Maloney introduced her shared-housing legislation, and HPD Associate Commissioner Michael Sandler and DOB Deputy Commissioner Gus Sirakis delivered the administration's testimony on shared housing in New York City and the related bills before the Committee on Housing and
- How would the city enforce shared housing and protect its occupants (Int 0066-2026)? Chairperson Pierina Ana Sanchez asked how HPD would enforce against illegal shared-housing arrangements and what eviction protections occupants would have. Associate Commissioner Michael Sandler said existing enforcement tools suffice without new resources, that residents not on a lease would gain
- How much shared housing would be new construction versus office conversion (Int 0066-2026)? Council Member Virginia Maloney asked HPD's sense of the breakdown between new construction and office conversions and which office buildings fail to pencil out under existing housing rules. Associate Commissioner Michael Sandler called it a cautious first step to reintroduce shared housing and
- How will HPD prevent displacement and reach seniors and non-English-speaking tenants? Council Member Yusef Salaam asked how HPD guards long-term residents against displacement amid gentrification and how it reaches seniors and non-English speakers, and raised sidewalk sheds harming small businesses and vacate orders. Associate Commissioner Michael Sandler and Associate Commissioner
- How can business owners fix an illegal shed in a commercial corridor? Council Member Susan Zhuang raised sheds along a commercial corridor in her district that business owners are told are illegal but not how to correct. DOB Deputy Commissioner Gus Sirakis said construction sheds attached to a building fall under DOB and offered to route her to the right agency and
- How would shared housing interact with rent stabilization and good-cause protections (Int 0066-2026)? Chairperson Pierina Ana Sanchez asked how shared housing relates to rent stabilization and good-cause eviction protections and who the housing would serve. Associate Commissioner Michael Sandler said he would follow up on how rooming units count toward good-cause thresholds and noted high co-living
- New sidewalk shed designs, costs, and tree replacement (Int 0071-2026) Chairperson Pierina Ana Sanchez pressed DOB on the six new sidewalk-shed designs, their cost, and whether they would be mandatory, saying the city should make keeping sheds up as burdensome as possible. DOB Deputy Commissioner Gus Sirakis said designs are being finalized with RFP winners and that
- Vacate-order communication breakdowns and 7A proceedings (Int 0271-2026) Chairperson Pierina Ana Sanchez raised a communication breakdown after a fire and questioned Council Member Shekar Krishnan's Int 0271-2026, which would require HPD to commence 7A proceedings. HPD Deputy Commissioner AnnMarie Santiago explained FDNY communications monitoring, that most fires are
- Cellar legalization, Housing Connect, and the re-rental process (Ints 0421, 0418, 0427) Chairperson Pierina Ana Sanchez asked about cellar-apartment legalization under Int 0421-2026, Housing Connect services under Int 0418-2026, and the affordable-unit re-rental process under Int 0427-2026. HPD Assistant Commissioner Stephen Erdman spoke to the cellar-legalization intent, and Associate
- Housing advocates and a co-living builder on shared housing standards Linlin Liang (Pew Charitable Trusts Housing Policy Initiative) testified on bathroom-ratio requirements and office-to-dorm conversion models, prompting clarifying questions from the Chair on building-code ratios; Jack Connors (Open New York) and Ron Borovinsky, a builder who has developed seven
- Tenant and caregiver testimony on the bill package Council Member Shekar Krishnan spoke in support of his bill and the tenant-protection package; Tabitha Ward testified about in-house supportive housing programs and Charlene Cannady-Carlo shared a personal story as the caregiver of a severely autistic adult daughter. Christopher Leon Johnson
Agenda
7 items
- T2026-1061 Oversight - Shared Housing in NYC. Hearing Held by Committee
- Int 0066-2026 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, the New York city building code, and the New York city fire code, in relation to shared housing Hearing Held by Committee
- Int 0271-2026 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the department of housing preservation and development to increase tenant relocation services in the event of a vacate order Hearing Held by Committee
- Int 0418-2026 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the department of housing preservation and development to create an in-person housing portal assistance program Hearing Held by Committee
- Int 0071-2026 A Local Law to amend the New York city building code, in relation to requiring permit holders responsible for sidewalk sheds or scaffolding to repair or replace certain damaged city-owned trees Hearing Held by Committee
- Int 0421-2026 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the occupancy of cellar ancillary dwelling units in newly constructed one- and two-family dwellings Hearing Held by Committee
- Int 0427-2026 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to how affordable housing units which subsequently became vacant are rented through the housing portal Hearing Held by Committee