Faith in housing plan
New backing for building on religious institutions’ land
A state bill that would help affordable New York housing get built on land owned by religious institutions has expanded its coalition of support to include the Adams administration along with its first Republican backer.
The new boosts could improve the bill’s odds of passing the state Legislature even as the prospect of a larger housing deal remains uncertain.
The Faith-Based Affordable Housing Act, or FBAHA, was introduced in December and is aimed at cutting zoning red tape to make it easier for churches, temples and other places of worship to develop housing on their properties.
City Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Adolfo Carrion announced at a rally last week that the Adams administration was putting its “full support” behind the legislation, making New York City the first municipality to do so.
“With the fewest homes available to rent in over 50 years, we must come away from this session with a robust housing package and a renewed commitment to tackling the housing crisis,” Carrion told the Daily News. “The faith community is ready to do just that, as they already serve their communities in so many ways. Through this bill they will be able to create affordable housing on their own land, unburdened by restrictive zoning.”
Long Island Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio is the first Republican to back the act. The endorsement is especially notable given the suburbs’ longstanding aversion to new development.
A recent Pew study found that 75% of New Yorkers support the gist of the policy, specifically allowing “dorms and affordable housing on college or church land.” The legislation is being touted as just one possible tool to help alleviate New York’s ongoing housing shortage.
Spearheading the FBAHA push are state Sen. Andrew Gounardes and Assemblyman Brian Cunningham, both Brooklyn Democrats.
“I think we can’t continue to not develop housing at a time when we have this huge shortage and these faith-based communities who are begging us to help be a part of the solution for their communities and their constituents,” Cunningham said.
Under the proposal, building sizes would have to be in keeping with the surrounding area: no more than 30 to 50 units an acre for towns and smaller cities and no higher than 55 feet — or the tallest nearby building owned by the organization — in New York City. Affordability measures would vary based on location.
A faith-based organization could manage the housing itself or lease the land to a third-party developer. Houses of worship that opt in would undergo “comprehensive” training.
They could then use revenue from the housing as they pleased, according to Open New York, a pro-housing development group that co-authored the bill. The housing would also be taxed like any other development and would not be subject to religious exemptions.
That was a particular draw for Giglio, who would like to see the revenue used to support struggling or dilapidated houses of worship.
“I was very excited about the bill because I know that there are a lot of churches in disrepair and that they need help in making those repairs and maintenance,” she said, adding that she hopes other members of her party will get onboard.
Proponents are hoping the bill’s relatively narrow focus will make it an easier sell in Albany, where legislators are continuing to negotiate deals on more contentious housing issues such as a replacement for the 421-a construction tax break.
The FBAHA aligns neatly with Adams’ City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal, which would similarly encourage building on faith-based campuses by easing zoning restrictions.
Giglio’s bipartisan blessing may bode well for the faithbased housing act, but the other big-name state housing initiatives the administration is hoping for may yet require something close to an act of God to pass.