Rent Benefits for Battery Park City Seniors and Disabled Residents Move Forward
Seniors and disabled residents who rent apartments in Battery Park City are days away from being able to claim exemptions on rent increases, according to City Council member Christopher Marte. During a Town Hall meeting held Sunday at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, Mr. Marte said, “we’re going to pass legislation this Thursday to extend SCRIE and DRIE to Battery Park City and to any former Mitchell-Lama developments, such as Independence Plaza.”
The Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption program (SCRIE) and the Disabled Rent Increase Exemption program (DRIE) allow renters who are over 62 years of age or disabled and have annual incomes of less than $50,000 to have rent increases limited or frozen. (Landlords who collect less revenue under these programs are compensated by offsets in their property taxes.) These benefits have long been available elsewhere in the five boroughs, but Battery Park City residents have been excluded, because of the technicality that the community is governed by a state agency, rather than the municipal government.
“This is going to help a lot of our seniors remain and age in place,” Mr. Marte continued. “I’ve already talked to the Mayor’s office and they said he is going to sign it immediately. And state-elected officials are making sure this will be retroactive for the last two years. So for seniors who are paying more than their fair share, more than they can afford, they’ll be able to get money back for the last two years. We’re super-excited to be able to deliver this for the community.”
This bill, which Mr. Marte sponsored in the City Council, is an adjunct to state legislation enacted last year, which was sponsored by State Senator Brian Kavanagh. In March, Mr. Kavanagh noted, “unfortunately, the City has determined that they will need a piece of City-enacted legislation” before activating these protections for the newly covered residents. “This has added a little time to the process. We’re working very closely with the City Council and City Hall to get those done. I don’t think there’s any objection. But it’s another step in the process, which has been long and complicated.”
The original state measure, which was signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul last December, included similar affordability protections for senior and disabled condominium owners. The Senior Citizen Homeowners’ Exemption program (SCHE) and the Disabled Homeowners’ Exemption program (DHE) provided for abatements in property taxes for elderly or disabled residents, analogous to those offered to renters. Thus far, however, the City Council has taken no action to extend SCHE and DHE protections to Battery Park City.
A Warrior. Chris Marte