The Daily Dirt: Real estate spent big blocking “good cause”

A coalition intent on killing good cause eviction spent $1.4 million lobbying lawmakers.

Homeowners for an Affordable New York was the seventh highest spender on lobbying in the state last year, according to an annual report by the state Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government.

The industry group, which includes the Real Estate Board of New York, the Rent Stabilization Association and the Community Housing Improvement Program, paid the same lobbyist, Fontas Advisors, $971,000 this year, records show.

I took a quick look at the remaining spenders — of which there are thousands — to get a sense of the other real estate players that were particularly active in 2022.

Texas-based Kiwo, which produces chemicals for screen printing, paid $407,005 on lobbying related to an application to rezone a site on Bergen Street in Boerum Hill to allow for housing. The text amendment, which established Mandatory Inclusionary Housing on the project site, was approved in December.

If you are wondering why Kiwo would spend money on this: It is an affiliate of Ulano, a screen-printing company that was leasing space at the city-owned site at the time. The company, which had been shifting its operations to other sites, reached an agreement to terminate its lease with the city.

Also, the Rosenwach family spent $365,737 lobbying to rezone 40-25 Crescent Street in Long Island City. Its Mandatory Inclusionary Housing project was approved in October.

Keep an eye out for more on this lobbying report soon!

What we’re thinking about: Summer is over, everyone is returning from the Hamptons and things are about to get even busier. What real estate issues should we be watching closely in the coming months? Send a note to kathryn@therealdeal.com.

A thing we’ve learned: Honkaku, which translates to “orthodox,” is a genre of Japanese crime fiction that “plays fair,” according to the Guardian. The books provide transparent mysteries and are hypothetically solvable by the reader (so, no random villain or clue pops up last-minute or in the detective’s monologue).   

Elsewhere in New York…

— They may be far away, but hurricanes Idalia and Franklin are causing rough waters in the region. Gov. Kathy Hochul barred swimming at three Long Island beaches and city officials warned about swimming in areas without lifeguards, Gothamist reports. For now, though, beaches in the city remain open for swimming. “We are continuing to monitor the forecast and currents and will take appropriate action as necessary,” Dan Kastanis, a spokesperson for NYC Parks, said in a statement.

— New York Attorney General Letitia James says former President Trump inflated his net worth by as much as $2.2 billion, Politico New York reports. In court filings, her office said Trump exaggerated his net worth by between $812 million and $2.2 billion in each year from 2011 to 2021.

— An off-duty officer was shot during a road rage incident in Queens, the New York Daily News reports. Officer Christopher Campos was shot in the thigh. Edwin Rivera, whose brother Shawn Rivera was also involved in the fight, was shot in the hand. The injuries are not considered life-threatening and it is sort of unclear who shot whom. Video shows the Riveras wrestling Campos to the ground after he identified himself as an officer and drew his gun on the brothers. The incident escalated after Campos drove around the Riveras’ van, which was blocking the roadway, and the parties exchanged words, according to police.

Closing Time

Residential: The priciest residential closing Wednesday was $9.5 million for a condo at 200 East 83rd Street in Yorkville.

Commercial: The most expensive commercial closing of the day was $49 million for a building at 24-02 Queens Plaza South.
New to the Market: The priciest residence to hit the market Wednesday was a condo at 432 Park Avenue in Midtown asking $32 million in a foreclosure auction. North Point has the listing.