Eric Adams on Monday outlined a plan to convert economically troubled hotels in the outskirts into supportive housing. He held a press conference outside the boarded-up Phoenix Hotel in Brooklyn yesterday (Eric Adams via Twitter)
September 21, 2021 by Allie Griffin
The Democratic mayoral candidate Eric Adams wants to convert 25,000 hotel rooms in the outskirts into permanently affordable housing.
Adams outlined a plan – during a press conference at Sunset Park on Monday – for the city to acquire economically troubled hotels in the outskirts and convert them into supportive housing.
The mayoral candidate and Brooklyn Borough President said he will use city funds and state and federal dollars to buy and remodel hotels.
Adams said he will also change city planning and building codes as part of his plan to expedite hotel remodeling. He also suggested adding on-site services to homeless New Yorkers in the converted hotels.
Adams said converting existing hotels into apartments is a cheaper and faster alternative than building affordable housing from scratch.
His plan focuses on hotels in the outskirts, as hotels there have recovered more slowly from the pandemic than hotels in Manhattan. The hotel industry was hardest hit by the pandemic and the resulting closure – around 50 hotels across the city have closed permanently, according to the Hotel Association of New York City.
“The combination of overdevelopment of hotels in the outskirts and the economic crisis caused by the pandemic has created a unique opportunity to convert vacant, distressed hotels into much-needed affordable housing – and we need to act quickly,” said Adams.
He estimates his plan would create 25,000 supportive housing units on the outskirts like Queens. Queens has a large stake in the city’s hotels as it is home to the city’s two major airports.
Adams was accompanied by State Sen. Michael Gianaris to the conference outside a shabby Brooklyn hotel.
Gianaris recently passed a bill through state lawmakers that will allocate $ 100 million for such hotel renovations. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill, the Housing Our Neighbors with Dignity (HONDA) Act came into effect last month.
“New York has seen a decade-long need for affordable housing that was exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and wreaked havoc on the economy,” said Gianaris. “Remodeling dilapidated buildings is a great way to address the dual problem of distressed properties and the lack of affordable housing.”
He added that he was excited to be working with Adams to carry out his plan.
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