Moratorium Battle in New York

In a veritable battle of Op-Eds in the Staten Island Advance (Staten Island, NYC), the local building industry is engaged in an effort to expose the damaging effects that could result if a proposed building moratorium is adopted on Staten Island.  Bent on stopping “beat-the-clock” construction, the proposal, introduced in the New York City Council September 17, would tighten constraints on home construction on Staten Island in areas where zoning change applications are pending. 

Builders have raised several arguments in opposition to the proposed moratorium, including the notion that a building freeze would halt the construction of quality, affordable housing, and that in turn would diminish housing opportunities for the City’s working families.  Moreover, the builders challenge whether the moratorium would even pass legal muster, given the protections afforded under the Constitution’s 5^th Amendment takings clause.  The debate only seems to be heating up!  To follow along, please log onto:  www.silive.com/search/index   Click on: Staten Island Advance — under the Newspaper Keyword Search, type “moratorium.” [ return to top ]