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Mitchell-Lama Reform Bill Passes State Senate
Legislation Seeks to “Restore the Balance of Power”
BY DARCEY GERSTEIN
Bloom Times
The Luxury—and Value—of Floral Arrangements
BY A J SIDRANSKY
Recently, New York State Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D/WF-Manhattan)
and State Senator Brian Kavanagh (D-Manhattan and Brooklyn) announced the passage of
their Mitchell-Lama reform bill (A.7272/S.6412) in both the New York State Assembly and
Senate. According to a State Senate press release, the bill is on its way to Governor Andrew
Cuomo’s desk for signature. Once it becomes law, the bill will implement a series of reforms
around voting procedures, corporate governance, and dissolution processes in Mitchell-
Lama cooperative housing, where advocates say the absence of such requirements has led
to abuse of power and lack of transparency.
“For far too long, many Mitchell-Lama shareholders have been treated as second-class
residents in their own homes by over-empowered boards pursuing agendas that serve the
interest of the few, not the majority,” says Rosenthal. “This vital legislation will restore the
balance of power in Mitchell-Lama housing. It ensures that shareholders have a real say
over what happens in their buildings, and will help to preserve moderate- and middle-
income housing for years to come. The Mitchell-Lama program is one of the state’s most
successful affordable housing programs, but like so many other forms of affordable hous-
ing, we have lost too many units over the years to ill-advised privatization efforts. It is vital
that we stem the loss of Mitchell-Lama affordable housing to ensure that there is a place in
our city for working-class New Yorkers and their families.”
Created in 1955 by the Limited Profit Housing Act, the Mitchell-Lama program was
intended to provide affordable rental and cooperative housing to moderate- and middle-
income families. More than 100,000 New Yorkers currently live in Mitchell-Lama housing,
according to the senate’s press release. The City’s Department of Housing Preservation and
Development (HPD) and the State’s Division of Housing and Community Renewal (HCR)
oversee the program, but the individual cooperatives are governed by a board of directors
elected by the shareholders. Current state law does not require a set number of annual
board or shareholder meetings.
The new legislation will require Mitchell-Lama co-op boards to hold a minimum of six
public meetings each year. It will also eliminate proxy voting in exchange for an absentee
ballot system, which is less prone to abuse. Additionally, the bill raises the threshold for a
dissolution vote—the process by which a Mitchell-Lama building leaves the program vol-
untarily—to 80% of dwelling units, and imposes a five-year moratorium on holding such
a vote after a failed one. Finally, the legislation will pause any and all formal steps toward
privatization until the last of the Executive Orders related to the COVID-19 state of emer-
gency expires or is rescinded.
“This bill is intended to ensure open, transparent governance of Mitchell-Lama coop-
eratives to protect the rights of shareholder residents and the public interest in preserving
affordable housing in Mitchell-Lama buildings that have been subsidized for decades,” says
Kavanagh. “I thank all the Mitchell-Lama residents who organized and advocated so ef-
fectively for these important changes and for an affordable future for their homes, Assem-
blymember Rosenthal for her long-standing, forceful leadership on these issues, and all of
our colleagues in both houses of the legislature who supported the bill.”
According to the release, Rosenthal and Kavanagh worked with a broad coalition of
resident advocates, including members of Cooperators United for Mitchell-Lama, Mitch-
ell-Lama Residents Coalition, Brooklyn Mitchell-Lama Task Force, and Mitchell-Lama
United, which collectively represent thousands of Mitchell-Lama residents. Dealice Fuller,
continued on page 7
“It looks like a photo from a magazine!” is the exclamation many a manager, broker, poten-
tial buyer, and board president have made upon stepping into an otherwise generic lobby and
seeing a new, eye-popping floral arrangement brightening up the space. Flowers add a dash of
elegance, color, and freshness to any room.
“Who doesn’t love fresh flowers?” asks Marilyn Sygrove, principle of Sygrove Design As-
sociates, an interior design firm with clients in both New York and New Jersey. “They can bring
aroma, romance, and intimacy to a space.”
“Flowers give a building lobby life, color, and warmth,” says Daniel Wollman, CEO of Gum-
ley Haft, a management firm based in New York. “They’re the second thing people see when
they enter the lobby, after the doorman. Therefore, the arrangement needs to be impressive.”
Options
According to Sygrove, “Generally, high-end properties budget for fresh cut flowers in the
lounge area of the lobby, and/or the doorman or concierge desk. More often though, we see
live plants, since they have a longer life of several months vs. the cost of a weekly arrangement.”
Wollman notes that “in some locations we use artificial flowers, and they are gorgeous. The
arrangements can be made so beautifully, you would not know they are artificial.”
Eugene Cordano, president of Brown Harris Stevens - New Jersey concurs that faux florals
have come a long way, and can definitely be a tasteful alternative to the real thing. “There are
florists and designers who charge a monthly service fee to come and change out very realistic
looking artificial flowers weekly or monthly and those can be very elaborate arrangements since
they’re not real,” he says. “These are generally cheaper than fresh flowers, but the goal is the
same: on a budget, sans the smell or aroma of fresh flowers - which not everyone appreciates,
especially during allergy season.”
Seasonality
Floral selections vary by season, and most interior pros recommend arrangements that take
advantage of what’s blooming at a given time, to reflect the changes in mood and style that the
changing seasons bring. “Orchids are usually the year-round plant of choice,” says Sygrove,
“but of course there are also seasonal plants like amaryllis and poinsettias around Christmas.
In winter, designers may also choose branches of bittersweet and miniature evergreens. In
autumn and around Thanksgiving, you may even see an arrangement of gourds in a variety of
colors and shapes. Spring brings cherry blossoms or quince branches, which can be a stand-
alone statement or the foundation of larger flower arrangements. Peonies are also popular. In
spring we also see pots of spring bulbs—tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths. The summer season
especially offers fabulous options like lush hydrangeas and roses, lilies, and gladiolus.”
That said, these days it is relatively easy to get any kind of flower one wants at any time
of year—particularly in the tri-state area. Many flower vendors purchase from international
flower markets, some of which are in South America where their summer is our winter, or in
tropical climates where year-round production is possible.
Costs and Benefits
“As far as a budget item, a florist is an easily controllable expense,” says Wollman, speaking
from experience. “The board sets a realistic budget and may increase it seasonally. Costs can
range from $600 to $1,000 per month. Compared to a gut renovation of a lobby, or a roof re-
placement or façade repairs, flowers are a low-cost enhancement for lobbies without any long-
term commitment. Sometimes a board member—or in rare cases a committee—may request
certain flowers to be placed, but in most cases the florist will decide on the arrangement.”
Along with tasteful wall art and good lobby lighting, fresh flowers and floral arrangements
in general can help in marketing apartments. They make a good first impression, and you only
get one chance to do that. “It’s an inexpensive way to brand the building with a welcoming first
impression,” says Cordano. “Fresh flowers do help sales, because they connote that someone is
taking care of those flowers/plants etc., and that if the building is concerned about those small
details, that suggests that the building has got the big things covered too.”
“I think this kind of small touch is beautiful and elegant,” says Joanna Mayfield Marks, also
with Brown Harris Stevens, in their Brooklyn office. “It shows care, affluence, and luxury. It is
a form of disposable wealth, and appeals to everyone on an aesthetic and health level. Plants
purify the air. Flowers smell and look good. The care and attention that goes into tending plants
makes me feel like a building is well cared for. Flowers increase curb appeal—and as we know,
curb appeal is a huge factor in buyer’s preferences, perhaps even as important as security. These
small touches are healthy, beautiful, and luxurious.”
Flowers and plants, whether fresh cut, faux, or perennial, add a panache to a building that
increases both mood and marketability—and in a competitive market, that may actually be
more of a necessity than a luxury.
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