"I'm surprised, I'm baffled, I'm angry," said City Councilmember Sandy Nurse, expressing disappointment that the basement conversion program excludes areas like East New York.
Housing advocates have long advocated for the regulation of tens of thousands of illegal basement apartments in NYC, occupied mainly by working class and immigrant populations, leaving tenants vulnerable to unsafe conditions and flooding risks.
"That was one of the reasons I said we must bring them into code," Gov. Kathy Hochul on the urgency of legalizing basement apartments after witnessing deaths in illegal units during Hurricane Ida.
Despite the susceptibility to flooding in Queens and the tragic deaths during Hurricane Ida, only one Queens community district was chosen for the pilot basement conversion program, with 15 districts in total included across the city.
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