#WORLD #WORLDWIDE #USA #NewYork #NY #NewYorkCity #NYC #thecity #THECITY #Newspaper #ONLINE #News #Journal #Update - THE CITY Scoop: The Mystery of Ridgewood’s Disappearing Rent-Stabilized Apartment Registrations

 

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Dear New Yorkers, Where have the rent-stabilized apartments gone in Ridgewood? THE CITY pounded the pavement in the Queens neighborhood in recent weeks to find out why the number of units registered there has sunk dramatically. Our reporters found that a loophole in New York’s rent regulations may be one reason. The number of rent-stabilized units registered in the increasingly trendy neighborhood plunged more than 65% between 2019 and 2021, compared to a roughly 10% decline citywide during that period, our recent analysis shows. The sharp drop happened even though a June 2019 law prohibited taking apartments out of the state’s rent regulation system, with few exceptions. One allowable loophole is called “substantial rehabilitation” — when entire buildings are renovated. Tenant advocates say they see signs of that rehabilitation all over Ridgewood. They suspect landlords are angling to remove entire buildings from regulation, then sharply hike up rents. “You’ll go from block to block, and on every block, there’s a new building that has a new façade and it’s totally renovated,” said Raquel Namuche, a volunteer tenant organizer with the Ridgewood Tenants Union. Read about what’s happening here. Some other items of note: Proposed battery storage sites — essential for New York’s climate resiliency plans — are worrying their neighbors. But engineers, first responders and battery storage developers THE CITY spoke with emphasized that there are big differences between the lithium-ion batteries used in e-bikes that have caused fires recently and those in the projects that support the grid. Cashless tolling is causing serious headaches for some E-ZPass users who are unknowingly racking up, in some cases, thousands of dollars in fees. Continued complaints are fueling attempts to pass a bill in Albany that would protect toll payers. Was Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks’ “episode” — his word — in which he answered a couple pre-submitted questions from the public, but refused to answer one from a journalist, the newest entry in the Eric Adams extended universe? All that and much more gets discussed on the FAQ NYC podcast. See how New York City is doing with our newsroom’s economic recovery tracker. For the latest local numbers on COVID-19 vaccinations, testing rates and more, check our coronavirus tracker. Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Wednesday's Weather Rating: 4/10. Welcome to Meteorological Spring! High temperatures reach the mid 40s, with partly cloudy skies and a northwest breeze. Clouds increase later today with some showers moving in tonight. The vibes are hanging in there! THE KICKER: Spring is coming and that means registration is open for the New York Restoration Project’s free tree giveaway. Distributions of saplings take place throughout April and May. Go out on a limb; plant a tree. Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Wednesday. Love, THE CITY P.S. If you liked something about today's newsletter, or didn't, let us know at zshah@thecity.nyc THE CITY's work is made possible, in part, through the support of our sponsors. Interested in becoming a sponsor of THE CITY? Contact us here.

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