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She said residents were “counting on their elected officials to do something about the housing crisis.”

Kathy Hochul said in a statement that the conversion of the Hilton was an “important step,” acknowledging that the state had so far “failed to produce the housing that New Yorkers need” through the program. “We want to make sure not to make the same mistake with office conversions,” Ms. But she added that lessons learned from the conversion effort could help the state create a better office conversion program. She said hotel conversions have been slow to take off because of the rebound in tourism and because hotels were needed to shelter an influx of migrants seeking asylum. The issue is urgent in New York City, as housing construction has lagged behind job growth for years, rents continue to rise and homelessness remains at record levels.Ĭity officials are looking at a number of ways to loosen restrictions on the “built environment,” said Jessica Katz, the city’s chief housing officer, including legalizing basement apartments and converting office buildings. The pandemic also provided a new opportunity to consider whether hotels or office buildings could be put to better use. The announcement on Wednesday reflects how officials around the nation are scrambling to find new ways to add more affordable housing. The apartments at the Hilton could be rented out within two years, the developers said, after renovations are complete on hotel rooms, heating systems and other parts of the building. “We have to add more units than we’ve ever done.” “We have to make the pie bigger,” said David Schwartz, a principal for Slate Property Group, one of the developers of the conversion. But supporters of the concept hope the announcement on Wednesday of the roughly $150 million conversion of the Hilton near Kennedy International Airport will show how such projects - quicker and cheaper than building new apartment buildings - can be an effective way of adding more affordable housing in New York.Ībout $48 million of the $150 million will come from the state program, initially created in 2021 by the Housing Our Neighbors with Dignity Act.