Co-op’s major coup
DeB ‘pauses’ onerous rules after meeting
Co-op owners opposed to a city plan that would impose burdensome rules on their buildings are claiming a measure of victory after meeting with Mayor de Blasio.
The HDFC Coalition said on its Facebook page that de Blasio was willing to “pause” a proposal that would lead to “a ‘one-size-fits-all’ regulatory agreement” for certain co-ops.
A month after a Post report revealed the secret city plan, the group met with the mayor and administration official who “expressed regret” about how the proposal was initially done, according to an HDFC Coalition leader.
As The Post reported in February, the de Blasio administration wants co-op buildings in the Housing Development Fund Corp. program to agree to new rules that would force them to hire city-chosen monitors and set limits on sales prices. Buildings that don’t agree would lose their tax breaks, and co-ops that do would get a better break.
The co-ops are once-derelict buildings the city sold decades ago to homesteaders for as little as $250 an apartment. They now have income limits for those who want to buy in.
Opponents say the proposed rules were drafted without shareholder input and are too restrictive.
The proposed agreement was drafted by the city’s Housing Preservation and Development department.
“I got the sense that the mayor wasn’t really aware of what HPD was doing,” said Michael Palma, a leader of the HDFC Coalition. “The article did a good job of exposing some of those details that were just nuts.”
According to Palma, de Blasio said he wanted to work with the group.
“The mayor even said ‘ We’re all human, We all make mistakes. We want a better approach,’ ” Palma recounted.
A City Hall spokeswoman would not confirm that the mayor had agreed to “pause” the process.
“As we continue to move forward to protect and preserve this important affordable homeownership program, we have been and will continue to engage with and listen to all stakeholders on needed reforms,” said a de Blasio spokeswoman.