Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Bill Would Ban Smoking In All Future Subsidized NYC Apartments
By
Emma Whitford
Published Apr 28, 2017
Modified Apr 28, 2017
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Emma Whitford
Published Apr 28, 2017
Modified Apr 28, 2017
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
One week after Mayor de Blasio declared the cigarette industry "public enemy number one" with a package of bills aimed to limit tobacco sales, City Council Member Donovan Richards heard testimony Thursday on a bill that would ban smoking cigarettes, cigars and pipes in all future residential buildings built or rehabilitated using city subsidies.
The legislation would impact the remainder of projects promised under Mayor de Blasio's affordable housing plan, totaling close to 140,000 below-market-rate apartments, Crain's reports. The rule would also apply to market-rate units inside buildings funded with the 421-a subsidy, which provides tax breaks to developers who designate a portion of new apartments below market-rate.
Council Member Richards was inspired by a plan on the federal level to ban smoking in public housing developments, according to spokesman Jordan Gibbons.
"We knew they were going to do the public housing thing and we wanted to jump on it," Gibbons said. "We feel people should not be forced to breathe in the second hand smoke from their neighbors."
Critics of residential smoking bans say they are skeptical of the consequences for violators. While HUD guidelines leave it up to individual jurisdictions to establish enforcement guidelines for the public housing smoking ban, the federal department does recommend "lease enforcement actions."
"Evictions are not something we want to happen from this," Gibbons said. "Consequences for violations would be on the administration [to decide]."
Real estate lobbying groups also said they opposed the bill. Frank Ricci of the Rent Stabilization Association said that while the legislation will not impact the rent-stabilized landlords he represents, the group is still opposed on principal.
"How do you enforce it?" he said. "If you say there is no smoking in the building, and someone complains, the owner is powerless to do anything. It gives them legal exposure without remedy."
The Real Estate Board of New York, which represents developers, testified on Thursday that, "The inability to smoke within the private residence in these buildings could devalue units."
A spokeswoman for Mayor de Blasio said that City Hall is opposed to the bill.
"We don't support this provision," said spokeswoman Olivia Lapeyrolerie. "We do support the concept of smoke-free housing and would welcome more discussion about how to do so without unfairly targeting low income New Yorkers."
Gibbons described the proposal as a healthful "luxury," not a burden. "We don't care if you have no money, or all the money," he said. "We just want people to have this luxury."
Richards's bill has ten sponsors in the City Council.
Tagged
housing subsidy
smoking
smoking ban
Emma Whitford
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
6-year-old girl breaks leg after getting hit by falling bricks in Queens
The girl was walking with her mother in Maspeth on Thursday. The Department of Buildings cited the owner of a garage for “failure to maintain” it.
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 23, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. ET
Mamdani extends ban on permits for new street fairs due to NYPD overtime
Critics say the moratorium harms businesses in neighborhoods without a tradition of street fairs.
By
Carol Chen
News
Mamdani extends ban on permits for new street fairs due to NYPD overtime
Critics say the moratorium harms businesses in neighborhoods without a tradition of street fairs.
By
Carol Chen
Inside the Midtown Bus Terminal rebuild: Decks over Lincoln Tunnel approach, a new park
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Black couple seeking Queens apartment sues over racist text from broker
By
Brittany Kriegstein
NJ early voting begins Saturday. Here's everything you need to know.
By
Mike Hayes
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .