Residents say they are upset that Ossining repealed the Emergency Tenant Protection Act.
Mayor Victoria Gearity and trustees Rika Levin and Manuel Quezada voted to cut back on the Emergency Tenant Protection Act Monday, which stabilized rent for nearly 2,000 people and protected tenants from unlawful evictions.
Now it has been repealed from smaller buildings, and landlords with 21 or more units have the choice to opt in or out.
Mayor Gearity says ETPA failed to address problems surrounding affordable living and substandard housing.
In a statement, she tells the media, “We are considering a project on a village-owned parcel that would significantly increase affordable housing and also connect our waterfront district and our downtown.”
That project will be discussed at a meeting later this week.
In the meantime, one resident says she feels her entire building feels unprotected against their landlord who has already tried to evict her twice. Tenant Elaine Jones says that tenants are afraid to come forward with issues. Jones is a four-decade resident of Ossining, and she says she may not be able to afford to live in her apartment if rent goes up.
