Legislator Passes Rebate Bill for Battery Park City Residents

The New York state legislature has passed legislation that would provide ground rent rebates to homeowners and renters living in Battery Park City, with the bill’s sponsors now imploring Governor Kathy Hochul to enact it into law.

The legislation—A04573A—would provide monetary relief for residents who have seen their ground rent costs skyrocket in recent years, as long as their annual household income doesn’t exceed 150 percent of the surrounding neighborhood’s median income.

Its sponsors included Grace Lee and Deborah Glick in the State Assembly, with State Senator Brian Kavanagh taking point in the State Senate. Legislators have pointed out that the idea was first floated by the Battery Park City Authority itself, but the BPCA’s level of support for the state measure is now currently unclear.

The day after the Knicks’s historic June 10 comeback victory in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, politicians and residents alike both celebrated the passage of the bill at a swelteringly hot afternoon presser. They also called for decisive action from the Governor’s Office.

State Assembly Member Charles D. Fall, who represents the area, said that concerned local residents have been sharing the same message for years: “People are worried about whether they could continue to afford the community that they call home.”

“These are not people looking to move here, these are the people who built this neighborhood,” he continued. “The families who raise children here, the retirees who spent decades planning their future here, the residents who invested in this community to help make Battery Park City one of the most desirable neighborhoods in New York City.”

The new bill, Fall said, would alleviate some of these stressors by providing “relief” to people such as seniors living on fixed-income and working families.

Assembly Member Lee—who represents Chinatown, the Financial District, and the Lower East Side—was present as well, not to mention decked out in Knicks colors.

“Too many seniors, families, and longtime residents are being priced out,” she said, stepping up to the podium after Fall. “That’s why I’m proud that we have reached this incredible milestone.

“Battery Park City should not just be a neighborhood for the wealthy,” Lee added, earning applause and expressions of “thank you” from gathered residents.

Assembly Member Glick, who is preparing to retire after more than three decades representing Lower Manhattan, addressed the elephant in the room by asking Governor Hochul to “really believe in the press releases on affordability” via signing the legislation into law.

It was local advocates who spoke most passionately about what the legislation would mean to them, however. BPC Homeowners Coalition president Justine Cuccia spoke at length about her intergenerational mission, namely wanting to provide her new grandchild with the same roots in Battery Park City that she gave her “now-adult children.”

The new bill would help make that dream more realizable for families such as hers, Cuccia said, calling it a “victory” that matters “enormously.” While the legislation would not apply to everybody, she added, it would apply “to the people who need it most.”

After public remarks wrapped up, Assembly Member Lee told Our Town Downtown that the bill would have a “limited fiscal impact,” and instead would have “a huge impact on every single person that it helps.”

As for the likelihood that the BPCA would throw its weight behind the proposal, Lee said that she’d continue to push them on “how important this is to the residents of Battery Park City.”

The Battery Park City Authority did not respond to a request for comment as of press time.