So-Called “Faith Based Affordable Housing Act,” Which Would Gut Landmark and Zoning Protections, Rears Its Head Again

The bill would have allowed new construction on religious properties up to the height of the tallest building on the site in all cases (second image), and even taller if the site happens to be within 800 ft. of an even higher-density zoning district, like many major avenues or streets (third image).

The so-called “Faith Based Affordable Housing Act,” which would override local landmark and zoning protections to allow demolition and in many cases oversized construction on the site of religious properties, is once again being considered in Albany. It would not only set a dangerous precedent of allowing destruction of landmarked historic sites, but allow grossly out-of-scale new construction in exchange for as little as 13% of the building being dedicated to “affordable housing,” much of which may only be “affordable” for people with well above average incomes for New York City — read more about the bill HERE. 

The bill is being considered again in Albany this session, and the same pro-deregulation, pro-real estate interests are behind the push to support it. Efforts to get supporters of the bill to amend it to address some of these serious concerns have been largely ignored. 

TO HELP:

Tell State Legislators not to support this bill unless substantially amended — CLICK HERE
March 20, 2026