McKee's Media 9/29/2020

 ​ARTICLES OF INTEREST TO TENANT ADVOCATES

Tenant Safe Harbor Act will be effective at least till Jan. 2020

Sydney Pereira: Tenant advocates call Cuomo's new order postponing evictions "misleading" & light on details (Gothamist)

Sarina Trangle: Cuomo announces extension of moratorium on residential evictions to January 1 (Newsday)
Kathryn Brenzel: Andrew Cuomo extended the state's ban on residential eviction. Sort of. Not really? It is complicated. (The Real Deal)
Nick Reisman: Advocates call for broad eviction moratorium (NY State of Politics)

Landlords v. tenants

Warehousing: Georgia Kromrei: Rent-stabilized apartments sit vacant as landlords refuse to spend on upgrades (The Real Deal)

Harron Walker: Philadelphia agrees to transfer 50 vacant homes to a community land trust established by Philadelphia Housing Action (Jezebel/The Slot)

Predatory Equity: The Real Deal: Blackstone assembles biggest predatory equity fund ever, preparing to scoop up COVID-devalued properties

Zach Williams: Why billionaire Ronald Lauder is targeting state senate Democrats (City & State)

Tenants charge harassment: Peter Senzamici: Fort Greene tenants charge landlord with harassment, illegal lockouts. Tenant advocates say these tactics are becoming more commonplace (The City)

Housing discrimination: Matthew Desmond: How Trump's race-baiting lets liberals off the hook (New York Times Magazine)

Zoning

Sylvia Varnam O'Regan: Judge voids permit for Extell's luxury condo tower on Upper West Side (The Real Deal)Kathryn Brenzel: Here's how the controversial Industry City rezoning plan came undone (The Real Deal)

VOTE IN NY, STARTING OCT. 24, 2020

Ethan Geringer-Sameth: Efforts launched to encourage New Yorkers to take advantage of early voting, avoid absentee ballot headaches

Greg Smith: Brooklyn voters get absentee ballots return envelopes with wrong name & address (The City)

Rachel Holliday Smith: Backyard politics: New York City Council candidates want more affordable housing in rich neighborhoods (The City)

McKee's Media - Sept. 17 2020

 ARTICLES OF INTEREST TO TENANT ADVOCATES

Affordable housing development

Jason Cohen: Developer plans to build new supportive housing in the West Bronx, + upgrade Mitchell-Lama developments & keep them affordable (Bronx Times)
Caroline Spivack: Budget cuts threaten de Blasio's affordable housing legacy (Curbed NY)

Landlords can't go after personal finances of small business owners

Shant Shahrigian: New York City Council moves to extend law barring landlords from going after business owners' personal funds if they cannot make rent (Daily News)

Homeless in Hotels - NIMBYism  (Mayor has since paused moving them out of the Lucerne)
Nikita Stewart: Caving to NIMBY protesters, de Blasio announces he will move homeless men from Upper West Side hotel back to shelters (New York Times)
Shant Shahrigian: Elected officials, UWS residents slam de Blasio over plan to move homeless men out of Lucerne Hotel (Daily News)
Janaki Chadha: De Blasio reaps public scorn, internal dissent over his caving in to NIMBY protesters (Politico NY)
Daily News: Homeless musical chairs: De Blasio boots disabled from midtown hotel to make way for men being moved from Upper West Side hotel
Janaki Chadha: Legal Aid Society to sue de Blasio over moving residents with disabilities out of midtown hotel (Politico NY)
Daily News editorial: By caving in to NIMBY protesters on Upper West Side, de Blasio makes a bad situation worse

Rent Drop in NYC (not in poor neighborhoods)
Robert Frank: Manhattan rental market plunges, leaving 15,000 empty apartments in August (CNBC)
Rachel Holliday Smith: What rent drop? Unlike Manhattan, listed prices on vacant apartments aren't budging in low income neighborhoods where COVID-19 hit hardest (The City)
Oshrat Carmiel: Manhattan rental supply soars, creating problems for landlords to find new tenants (Bloomberg News) (VIDEO)
Erin Hudson: Manhattan rental vacancy rate hits the 5 percent mark (The Real Deal)
Emily Davenport: Some NYC neighborhoods saw purchase price drops in August (amny)
Georgia Kromrei: Market-rate rental payments nationwide down to lowest rate since start of pandemic (The Real Deal)