How single room occupancies could be the answer to NYC’s housing crisis

It was different section calamity attracting passing announcement earlier being overtaken for our attraction by nan latest stray slug homicides and subway assaults.

But those concerned pinch “affordable housing” person overmuch to study from nan Easter greeting deaths of 3 Queens residents and nan displacement of possibly a twelve others successful a occurrence successful an forbidden Jamaica Estates rooming house. 

The truth that truthful galore were consenting to salary $700 to $1,000 a period to cram into small, subdivided bedrooms pinch shared bath and room tells america not that we request to prohibition specified “single room occupancy” lodging but that they should beryllium a safe, ineligible and not uncommon portion of our lodging market.

Mayor Adams has tried to do conscionable that successful his City of Yes lodging plan, but cardinal ineligible obstacles remain.

There was a clip erstwhile SROs were an extended and important portion of nan city’s residential infrastructure, providing lodging that was inexpensive because it was small.

At their height, location were hundreds of thousands such rooms, offering shelter for those who mightiness different beryllium connected nan street.

But nan aforesaid crowd that saw immoderate humble lodging arsenic slums, and deinstitutionalized nan mentally ill, declared warfare connected SROs, phasing them retired by rule starting successful 1954, to nan constituent that the Furman Center astatine NYU has estimated only 30,000 specified rooms remain, moreover arsenic nan bum dot our thoroughfare corners. 

To his credit, Eric Adams, successful his lodging proposal, has described nan virtues of SROs well: “Allowing much mini and shared apartments will create a wider assortment of lodging options, and unfastened larger, family-sized apartments that would different beryllium occupied by roommates.”

The connection is attentive to nan truth that this request not beryllium “flophouse” lodging for nan desperate; it cites nan legendary Barbizon Hotel that provided a safe spot for azygous women. Typical SROs see a beforehand table requiring ID and check-in.

SROs would beryllium an particularly bully usage for under-utilized agency buildings, acknowledgment to agelong hallways that could connection azygous rooms that stock a room and bath, alternatively than providing those for each unit.

There are, unfortunately, bully reasons those who want to person homes aliases buildings to SROs now do truthful illegally. The owner/operator of a 20-room SRO connected West 23rd Street, for instance, laments that nan rule subjects SRO buildings to rent stabilization.

“We’d for illustration to renovate nan bathrooms, hallways, and intercoms, but since our rental income is highly limited, we do not person capable income to put successful nan building to make it much attractive,” he said.

What’s more, if a roomer moves retired successful little than six months, owners must salary nan 5.8% edifice tax. An forbidden usability avoids each nan rent power reddish portion and immoderate taxes, arsenic good as, tragically, fume detector laws, arsenic was nan lawsuit successful nan Queens fire.

The City Council, per Adams, took important first steps this past December toward bringing backmost SROs. They amended nan city’s zoning rule to make imaginable units smaller than 400 quadrate feet, without individual kitchens aliases baths, arsenic good arsenic relaxing parking requirements. Sounds a batch for illustration nan dorms that able assemblage students don’t mind surviving in. 

Unfortunately, however, nan correct zoning is not enough; arsenic nan city’s Housing and Preservation Department puts it: “The Housing Maintenance Code does not let lodging pinch shared accommodation as-of-right.” 

As lawyer Patrick Sullivan, who follows lodging rule for nan rule patient Kramer, Levin, Natalie’s and Frankel, explains: “Only specialized developers,” specified arsenic those for supportive housing, tin return advantage of nan caller law. “Other ineligible changes are still needed for much wide take of SROs.”

We request to make it easier to build SROs “as of right.”

For newcomers to nan city, they tin service arsenic a measurement position earlier trading up to a semipermanent apartment. For those who would alternatively not stock their abstraction pinch roommates, yet not unrecorded genuinely alone, SROs are besides an option. 

Let’s dream nan Adams management continues to push for further ineligible changes truthful that SROs tin go a much wide and easy-to-realize lodging option.

It’s a amended attack than pushing, arsenic per Democratic mayoral candidates, for still much subsidized “affordable” lodging successful a metropolis that has much of it than anyplace other successful nan US — yet remains stuck successful a perennial lodging crisis.

Howard Husock is simply a elder chap for home argumentation astatine nan American Enterprise Institute