Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Manhattan borough president urges transparency on Penn Station proposals and warns on HUD rule affecting mixed‑status households
Summary
Borough President Brad Hyman Seagull told Manhattan CB2 the borough asked Albany for 9/11 health‑impact records, urged public access to Penn Station RFPs and applauded a proposed pied‑à‑terre tax — and flagged a HUD proposal that his office says could force mixed‑status families from subsidized housing.
Brad Hyman Seagull, Manhattan borough president, told Manhattan Community Board 2 at its April meeting that his office is pressing for public access to redevelopment documents for Penn Station and tracking several state and federal policy proposals that could affect neighborhoods in the borough.
Seagull said he recently wrote to the governor and legislative leaders seeking more transparency about what state agencies knew about health impacts after 9/11. He added that his office will hold a press conference in coming days calling for public disclosure of the request for proposals the federal government has issued for Penn Station’s redesign, saying "the public should have some knowledge of that." The borough president did not provide the RFP text at the meeting.
Seagull also highlighted the inclusion, in ongoing state budget negotiations, of a proposal he has long backed commonly described as a pied‑à‑terre tax aimed at non‑residents who own very high‑value apartments. "We think that non New York City residents who own apartments valued at $5 million or more should pay their fair share of taxes," Seagull said, framing the proposal as targeting units whose assessed values currently understate sale prices under the city's property tax system.
On federal housing policy, Seagull warned about a proposed Department of Housing and Urban Development rule that his office says would "bar mixed status immigrant households from accessing subsidized rental assistance." He said the change could affect an estimated 11,000 New Yorkers and "force the impossible choice of either remaining in publicly subsidized housing or kicking out an undocumented family member." The borough president encouraged community boards and districts to submit comment letters opposing the rule; he said HUD is legally required to respond to such comments.
Why it matters: The Penn Station redesign is a high‑visibility, multi‑billion‑dollar project that affects subway, commuter rail and neighborhood planning; public access to RFP documents can shape local advocacy. A pied‑à‑terre tax would shift the city’s tax mix if enacted, but its revenue impact depends on changes to assessment rules Seagull acknowledged are needed. The HUD proposal, if finalized, would alter eligibility rules for federally subsidized housing programs and could raise immediate housing‑stability concerns in neighborhoods with mixed‑status families.
What’s next: Seagull said his office will publish its formal response to the mayor’s preliminary FY27 budget online and encouraged CB2 members to join the borough in submitting comments to HUD on the proposed rule. No formal board action was taken at the meeting on the HUD change or on the Penn Station items.
