Insights

Hochul’s Ascent a Game-Changer for State Policy Toward New York City

August 12, 2021 – Media Mention
Commercial Observer

Mitchell Korbey, chair of Herrick's Land Use & Zoning practice, spoke to the Commercial Observer about what Governor Cuomo's upcoming departure, and the arrival of incoming Governor Hochul, will mean for state and city policy.  

The article states that "[Mitch] felt that Gov. Hochul might be more willing than Cuomo to move forward on issues like property tax reform, land use rules related to the state’s new marijuana program, and the new version of the 421-a tax break for residential development, which is set to expire next summer. A better relationship between the mayor’s and the governor’s offices might translate to better policy[.]"

"For years, it’s been rancor and nails on a chalkboard between City Hall and the governor’s office," said Mitch, adding, "Policy is important, but what drives it is communication. The presumptive mayor, Eric Adams, has reached out [to Hochul], and we’ve seen a spirit of dialogue that was missing at the beginning of de Blasio’s term. Instead of having an intense rivalry and one-upmanship, you’ll hopefully have dialogue in the best interests of everyone."

The article notes that Mitch also hoped that Hochul would be less likely to implement top-down policies that are usually best left to city officials and planners, like Cuomo’s proposal to allow the owners of office buildings and hotels to convert their buildings to housing.

"We need to get creative and innovative about ways to build new housing and convert buildings," said Mitch. He explained, "We’ve got a lot of people in New York who are smart and these ideas need to percolate in the city, rather than zoning overrides done by folks who may not be as close to the people in New York, who should be writing zoning policy."

Real the full article in Commercial Observer here. Access may require a subscription.