Op-Ed: Pass Albany’s Faith-Based Affordable Housing Act

New York has a critical housing shortage, which the state government can help address — at no cost to the taxpayer — by passing the Faith-Based Affordable Housing Act. This legislation would provide a fast track for religious institutions to build housing on their own land, bypassing local zoning restrictions so long as developments fit the context of the surrounding community.

This legislation would permit religious organizations to develop mixed income and 100% affordable housing, with or without government subsidies. At a moment when it appears that there will be cutbacks in federal funding for housing, New York must tap every resource we can muster to address our housing crisis.

Many religious organizations have parking lots, empty buildings, and land that is underutilized. While they may be willing to redevelop these properties for a community purpose, the high cost and complexity of the land use process required to turn these sites into affordable housing will often exceed their resources. The intention of this act is to simplify, accelerate, and reduce the cost of development when the objective is to produce badly needed housing units.