New York needs your support right now on the passage or sponsorship of three very important bills to force development of vacant and underutilized land, or the sale of it to someone who will develop it.  This will help end urban blight and provide affordable housing. When land sits idle, New Yorkers lose opportunities to work, live, and enjoy the city.  Worse, vacant land means higher rents on land that is used, squeezing out the working and middle classes, depriving the city of parks and even its future viability as a diverse, dynamic competitive city!

New Yorkers cannot wait any longer!

City Council Bills Int 0652-2011 (http://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=967779&GUID=7C7A9F5E-CEC6-4663-86E7-952F20970E4B&Options=ID|Text|&Search=Int+0652-2011) and Int 0048-2010 (http://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=649884&GUID=4B0F7491-9B25-48B8-BEE9-3183D8943704&Options=ID|Text|&Search=Int+0048-2010) and State Assembly Bill A05671-2009 (http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?default_fld=&bn=A05671&term=2009&Summary=Y&Actions=Y&Votes=Y&Memo=Y&Text=Y - a companion bill in need of a new sponsor to already-passed Bill 6207) would provide the following for the city:

City Council Bill Int 0048-2010 provides for the annual citywide Census of vacant and underutilized properties.  

City Council Bill Int 0652-2011 provides for an annual Registration of vacant and underutilized properties in the five boroughs. 

These city council bills would help end the practice of holding valuable land out of service until the market rises, i.e. "Warehousing."

State Assembly Bill #A05671-2009 provides a fifth property class for vacant/underutilized sites.  This allows for a higher tax on these properties.    Previously, Linda Rosenthal (AD-67) had been the sponsor, but the bill died in committee and needs a new sponsor. 

New sponsors for these 3 anti-warehousing initiatives are vitally needed now!

These three bills, plus Bill #S06207-2008 (already passed: http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?default_fld=&bn=S06207&term=2007&Summary=Y&Actions=Y&Text=Y) to omit the huge tax break for vacant and underutilized sites above 110th street, are only the beginning of the reform effort needed to shift the tax burden from buildings to land instead.  By taxing land, and not improvements (e.g. buildings), we will encourage appropriate development in dense urban areas like New York City.  For more information, see The Manhattan Institute or here http://www.commongroundnyc.org.

Common Ground NYC is a not-for-profit advocacy group that seeks to Return Taxes to the Ground, where they belong, while untaxing all fruits of labor, capital investments, and sales.