BRENTWOOD — The bureaucratic red tape that can often slow down religious institutions looking to build affordable housing on property they own could become a thing of the past if a bill in the State Legislature is passed.
The bill, called the Faith-Based Affordable Housing Act, was introduced by state Sen. Andrew Gounardes (D-Brooklyn) earlier this year, but was stalled in committee and failed to pass before the session ended in June. Gounardes said he plans to reintroduce the bill, which has some heavenly support.
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood are fully behind it, according to Sister Tesa Fitzgerald, the congregation’s president, who added that the sisters plan to send postcards to lawmakers in Albany to encourage them to vote yes when the legislative session begins in January.
“The idea of this bill is to allow religious organizations to develop affordable housing on their land that would bypass restrictive zoning laws,” she explained.
“When you look at housing today, 50% of our residents spend more than 30% of their income on housing. And then also look at the number, 100,000 people, who are in shelters each night,” Sister Tesa said. “It’s unconscionable. This bill is a concrete way to really follow our faith and live out our faith in action.”
Another member of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Sister Karen Burke, said the bill is crucial because it “offers faith-based organizations like ours a responsible and compassionate path to transform underused land — such as vacant convents, parish buildings, or open space — into housing for those who need it most.”
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The bill would help ease New York’s housing shortage, Gounardes said. “We are in a severe housing crisis where we have not, for many years, been building enough housing to meet the needs of New Yorkers,” he explained.
“We have to build housing. There’s a lot of different ways to do that. And state institutions are trusted community pillars in every single community across the state,” Gournardes explained. “Many of them already view it as part of their mission to build housing for the broader community. But the obstacles that are in their way to do so are great.”
Specifically, the bill would allow religious institutions to build as-of-right, meaning that if they adhere to building density requirements, they could bypass much of the regulatory purgatory that exists. The bill would also require municipalities to fast-track the application review process, ensuring it takes no more than 60 days.
While some rules would be relaxed, any new construction would still have to fit in with the overall character of buildings in the surrounding area, Gounardes said. “We’re not going to tear down your rectory and put up the Empire State Building,” he noted.
The Sisters of St. Joseph are working in partnership with the non-profit group Concern Housing to convert the former St. Joseph Academy on the Brentwood campus into apartments. Sister Tesa said that construction projects like theirs often face delays that stretch over years due to cumbersome regulations.
As an example, she pointed to studies such as environmental and traffic assessments that are often required and typically take several months to complete before a project can clear the first hurdle — winning approval from a community board or town council.
Gounardes pointed to a faith-based community in the Bronx that sought to construct a 30-unit building. “It took them 11 years,” he said.
The bill was a topic of conversation at a meeting of the New York chapter of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, a group of leaders of religious congregations that took place in Albany on Oct. 23. “And one of our actions was that we are going to come back to our communities and really get them behind this,” Sister Tesa said.
The Sisters of St. Joseph are eager to fulfill their mission, and they’re not in it for the money, Sister Karen said. “We are not developers. We are not seeking profit. We are seeking justice,” she added.