Imagine creating hundreds of units of legal, regulated, and affordable housing units in housing-starved New York Citywith the stroke of a pen. The catch, if there is one? The units are mostly in basements.
In New York, renting out basement units is illegal. That doesnt mean people dont do it, however. According to Chhaya Community Development Corp, a Jackson Heights-based organization advocating for the housing needs of New York City, there are at least 114,000 unauthorized housing units in basements and cellars throughout the city. Chhaya estimates 35 percent of them are safe and could be brought into regulation with minor modifications.
It is hard to estimate exactly how many [illegal] basements can be conversed to meet the official standards because it very much depends on the design of the house, size, and structure of the basements, said Sarah Watson, Deputy Director at Citizens Housing & Planning Council.
Read more in NY City Lens.