Add Art 20-A §§1125 - 1127, Priv Hous Fin L; amd §2429-b, Pub Auth L
Establishes the manufactured home community preservation act to provide financial and technical assistance, within funds available to counties, municipalities, rural preservation companies, and other non-profit housing organizations for their housing preservation efforts; provides that funds in the mortgage insurance fund can be used to provide financial support to local governments and eligible non-profit housing organizations.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A4893
SPONSOR: Woerner TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the private housing finance law, in relation to estab-
lishing the manufactured home community preservation act; and to amend
the public authorities law, in relation to the distribution of funds in
the mortgage insurance fund
PURPOSE:
To ensure that mobile and manufactured home communities remain a viable
affordable housing option for rural communities in the state by purchas-
ing development rights from owners and by providing funding to non-pro-
fit organizations to purchase the mobile and manufactured home community
and preserve its affordability through a covenant in the deed.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one establishes the Manufactured Home Community Preservation
Act, which creates a program to provide financial aid and technical
assistance to local governments and non-profit housing organizations for
housing preservation efforts, and grants the commissioner certain
authorizations to facilitate this program. Section one additionally
directs funds from the mortgage insurance fund pursuant to section twen-
ty-four hundred twenty-nine-b of public authorities' law to provide
financial support to local governments or eligible non-profit housing
organizations to acquire the development rights or to outright purchase
mobile homes and manufactured home parks.
Section two amends section twenty-four hundred twenty-nine-b of the
public authorities law to include a provision in the mortgage insurance
fund for the Manufactured Home Community Preservation Act.
Section three amends section twenty-four hundred twenty-nine-b of the
public authorities law to include a provision in the mortgage insurance
fund for the Manufactured Home Community Preservation Act.
Section four states the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
Mobile and manufactured home communities or mobile home parks are a
vital affordable housing option in rural parts of the state. However,
manufactured home communities in our state are under threat from real
estate speculators who purchase them, increase rents and fees to drive
out residents, and finally redevelop them into more expensive, housing
options. Due in part to this speculation, mobile and manufactured home
communities have declined from 1,800 in 2019 to 'only 1,200 in 2022.
Because these homes represent 14% of rural housing stock, this loss is a
significant blow to available affordable housing in rural communities.
As New York State faces a dire shortage of housing stock, especially
affordable and workforce housing, we need to focus our efforts on ensur-
ing available housing for low-income earners. Protecting mobile and
manufactured home communities is a crucial part of that effort.
This bill will protect our rural communities from speculators and ensure
that mobile and manufactured homes remain a viable affordable housing
option. It does this in two ways. First, by empowering local governments
or eligible non-profit housing organizations to purchase development
rights from owners, this bill enables owners to retain ownership of the
property and profit from its development potential while ensuring that
the property stays a mobile home park. Second, it allocates funding to
non-profit organizations to purchase mobile home communities and
preserve their affordability through a covenant in the deed.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
A.8601 of 2024 - Referred to Housing
S.7770 of 2024 - Referred to HOUSING, CONSTRUCTION AND COMMUNITY DEVEL-
OPMENT
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that the
amendments to subdivision 1-a of section 2429-b of the public authori-
ties law made by section two of this act shall be subject to the expira-
tion and reversion of such subdivision pursuant to section 19 of chapter
555 of the laws of 1989, as amended, when upon such date the provisions
of section three of this act shall take effect.
