ESDC / DHCR: No FMV Tax Bills if Continuation of Mitchell-Lama Status

According to RIOC President Steve Shane, the NYS Division of Housing and Community Renewal and the Empire State Development Corporation have jointly indicated that the Fair Market Value Tax Equivalency Bills issued earlier this Winter (to Westview, Island House, and Rivercross) will be rescinded so long as each building that received them stays within the Mitchell-Lama affordable housing program. Mr. Shane made this announcement informally following his attendance at the Community Board 8 Roosevelt Island Committee meeting held yesterday evening, January 22nd, at the Church of the Good Shepherd.

Once a building exits the Mitchell-Lama program the FMV bills will again be issued. Until that point each building would continue to be responsible for the subsidized tax equivalency bills they have been enjoying all these years. No word when each building is to be formally informed of this development, by either the DHCR or the ESDC, or if they already have been.

It is assumed that the Privatization Committee at Rivercross will continue to push for privatization as they had been prior to the ESDC FMV tax bill debacle claiming that knowing what the FMV tax bills will be gives them one more number for their exit calculations.