Council asks state to deny owner request to exempt Stoney Run from Emergency Tenant Protection Act

The Kingston Common Council on Monday adopted a resolution asking the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal to deny an application from the owners of the Stoney Run apartment complex to exempt a share of units from the Emergency Tenant Protection Act of 1974 (ETPA).

The resolution, introduced during the council's business meeting, says some tenants at Stoney Run are protected under a regulatory agreement and that the owners' exemption request appears to conflict with that agreement. Council members asked the Community Development Committee to review the regulatory agreement and report back on compliance and the status of the property since the agreement was signed.

Council members said the regulatory agreement predates the current council and that protected-unit status is part of the existing paperwork for the property. One councilmember told colleagues the application to the state seeks to remove ETPA protections for some units, a change the resolution asks the Division of Housing and Community Renewal to deny. The council also requested a maintenance and tenancy status update from staff to clarify which tenants remain protected under the agreement.

No formal vote tally was recorded on the meeting transcript; council members expressed assent during the discussion and the resolution moved forward. The council said the community development review is intended to establish what actions, if any, the city or state should take next and to identify any spillover effects on other properties with regulatory agreements.

Background materials noted by councilmembers include the unit-protection language in the Stoney Run regulatory agreement and the pending application before the state agency. Councilmembers requested staff follow up with documentation on tenant protections and the owners' request to the state.