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CB2 fellowship analysis finds net loss of rent‑stabilized units over 2007–2020; researcher highlights data limits
Summary
A city fellowship presented research showing a net loss of rent‑stabilized units in Manhattan Community Board 2 between 2007 and 2020 and mapped where those units were concentrated. The researcher said open‑data limitations make tracking additions difficult and recommended further study and improved data sharing.
Lauren Leiker, a City fellowship researcher hosted by Community Board 2, presented a temporal study of affordable housing in CB2 that focused on rent‑stabilized units and mapped changes from 2007 through 2020.
Leiker said available datasets show a net loss of rent‑stabilized units in the district — approximately 6,400 units lost in the period analyzed — and that losses have been spread across the district rather than concentrated in a single area. The presentation used Rent Guidelines Board analyses for citywide context and Open Data NYC for building‑level mapping.
“While this isn’t specific to the community board and just looks at the city as a whole, I think it gave important context,” Leiker said in her presentation, adding that the project narrowed to rent‑stabilized units because those data were tractable and central to affordability discussions.
Data limits and next steps
Leiker told the committee that additions recorded in public data were inconsistent and that some apparent gains are likely artifacts of reporting — for example, buildings not consistently claiming tax exemptions or coding changes. She recommended a follow‑up that combines multiple administrative datasets (DHCR rent rolls, tax filings, DOB records) to measure post‑2020 trends and to build a repeatable public method for other community boards.
Committee members raised questions about scale and confidence in the figures; Leiker acknowledged the limits and said her final fellowship report, to be delivered to CB2, will include methodology and caveats. She also suggested further study of underused FAR (floor‑area ratio) capacity and city‑owned parcels as avenues to identify potential sites for new affordable housing.
Ending
Leiker said she will produce a written deliverable for CB2 summarizing methods, raw datasets used and recommendations for future research; committee members requested a timetable for that report and asked to receive the draft before the board’s May meeting.
