What's happening
This bill creates a $250 million fund to reward New York municipalities for building new housing.
Why it matters
Direct financial incentives for *all* New York municipalities (cities, towns, villages) to promote new housing. The bill rewards a wide range of communities, not just large cities or certain regions, potentially encouraging both upstate and downstate localities—including those historically resistant to new development—to take proactive steps to increase their housing supply.
Prioritizes affordable, supportive, and public housing, with anti-displacement rules. Higher payments are set for deeply affordable and supportive units, and anti-gaming/anti-displacement provisions prevent municipalities from simply demolishing existing affordable homes or manipulating classifications to earn rewards. This aims to ensure new development genuinely increases housing stock and benefits vulnerable populations.
Transparency and accountability through annual municipal reporting and state oversight. Municipalities must submit detailed annual certifications about the number, type, and locations of new housing, while the state verifies this data and issues a public report each year. This level of tracking could help policymakers and the public better understand where and how new housing is being built, and whether incentives are effectively addressing local and regional housing shortages.
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Who cares
Municipal Governments
Cities, towns, and villages stand to receive incentive payments for creating new housing units, which can provide much-needed funding for local infrastructure, services, and community projects.
Affordable Housing Developers & Advocates
Organizations and stakeholders focused on increasing affordable and supportive housing will care because the bill prioritizes and provides larger incentive payments for deeply affordable, supportive, and public housing units.
Residents Facing Housing Shortages
Individuals and families struggling with high housing costs or limited housing options may benefit from increased housing production, particularly in high-need regions, potentially easing shortages and affordability issues.
State Agencies & Policymakers
Entities such as the New York State Housing Trust Fund Corporation and elected officials care about the bill as it establishes new administrative responsibilities, reporting requirements, and a significant new funding stream to address state housing policy goals.
Headline styles
Reward Towns For New Housing
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Print number 10503b
- Amend (t) and recommit to finance
- Print number 10503a
- Amend (t) and recommit to finance
- Referred to finance
Full text
3 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
10503--B
IN SENATE
May 15, 2026
Introduced by Sen. BOTTCHER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the private housing finance law, in relation to establishing the build more, get more incentive fund
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "build more, get more act".
§ 2. The private housing finance law is amended by adding a new article 28 to read as follows:
ARTICLE 28
BUILD MORE, GET MORE INCENTIVE FUND Section 1240. Definitions.
1241. Establishment of fund.
1242. Incentive payments.
1243. Permitted uses of funds.
1244. Certification and reporting.
1245. Anti-displacement and anti-gaming provisions.
1246. Bonus for certified pro-housing communities.
1247. Annual report.
§ 1240. Definitions. For the purposes of this article:
1. "Corporation" means the New York State Housing Trust Fund Corporation.
2. "Municipality" means any city, town, or village.
3. "Net new housing unit" means a dwelling unit that:
(a) receives a certificate of occupancy, temporary certificate of occupancy, or equivalent local authorization on or after the effective date of this article;
(b) increases the total number of lawful dwelling units within the municipality; and
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15840-04-6
(c) does not merely replace a dwelling unit that was demolished, converted, or otherwise eliminated, except as otherwise provided for deeply affordable, supportive, or public housing replacement.
4. "Eligible housing unit" means a net new housing unit, including but not limited to:
(a) rental housing;
(b) homeownership housing;
(c) affordable housing;
(d) supportive housing;
(e) senior housing;
(f) accessory dwelling units;
(g) conversions from nonresidential to residential use;
(h) mixed-use development containing residential units; and
(i) public housing, Mitchell-Lama housing, or other publicly assisted housing.
§ 1241. Establishment of fund. There is hereby established the build more, get more incentive fund, to be administered by the corporation. Subject to appropriation, the fund shall provide incentive payments to municipalities based on the number of eligible net new housing units produced within such municipality.
§ 1242. Incentive payments. 1. For each eligible net new housing unit, the corporation shall provide the municipality with an incentive payment of:
(a) ten thousand dollars per net new housing unit;
(b) fifteen thousand dollars per net new affordable housing unit affordable to households earning up to eighty percent of area median income;
(c) twenty thousand dollars per net new deeply affordable, supportive, public housing, or formerly homeless housing unit; and
(d) five thousand dollars per net new accessory dwelling unit.
2. The corporation may adjust such amounts annually based on available appropriations and regional housing need.
§ 1243. Permitted uses of funds. 1. Funds awarded under this article may be used by a municipality for any lawful municipal purpose, including but not limited to:
(a) sewer, water, school, park, street, transit, and public realm infrastructure;
(b) planning, zoning, environmental review, and building department staffing;
(c) affordable housing preservation or production;
(d) code enforcement;
(e) public safety and emergency services;
(f) climate resilience and green infrastructure;
(g) property tax relief; and
(h) community facilities.
2. Funds shall not be required to be spent directly on the housing development that generated the award.
3. If eligible claims exceed available appropriations, the corporation may prorate payments, with priority given to affordable housing, supportive housing, public housing, and municipalities in regions with severe housing shortages.
§ 1244. Certification and reporting. 1. Each municipality seeking payment shall submit an annual certification to the corporation identifying:
(a) the number of eligible net new housing units produced;
(b) the type and affordability level of such units;
(c) the location of such units;
(d) the number of dwelling units demolished, converted, or eliminated during the same period; and
(e) any local zoning or permitting actions taken to facilitate housing production.
2. The corporation shall verify such certifications using certificates of occupancy, building permit data, local assessment rolls, and any other relevant state or local data.
§ 1245. Anti-displacement and anti-gaming provisions. 1. No payment shall be made for a housing unit if the corporation determines that the municipality or applicant has artificially created eligibility through:
(a) demolition of existing occupied housing without replacement;
(b) conversion of rent-regulated, affordable, supportive, Mitchell- Lama, public, or other protected housing into market-rate housing;
(c) temporary or sham dwelling unit classifications; or
(d) failure to comply with applicable fair housing, environmental, labor, or tenant protection laws.
2. Where new housing replaces demolished or converted housing, incentive payments shall be made only for the net increase in lawful dwelling units, except where the replacement housing provides greater affordability or deeper public benefit as determined by the corporation.
§ 1246. Bonus for certified pro-housing communities. 1. A municipality that has been designated by the state as a pro-housing community shall receive a twenty-five percent bonus on all payments under this article.
2. A municipality that fails to submit required housing production data shall be ineligible for payments until such data is submitted.
§ 1247. Annual report. 1. The corporation shall publish an annual report including:
(a) the payments made to each municipality;
(b) the number of units produced by municipality;
(c) the number of affordable units produced;
(d) the number of units demolished or lost;
(e) the regional distribution of awards; and
(f) the corporation's recommendations for improving the program.
2. The report shall be delivered to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the minority leader of the senate and the minority leader of the assembly by December thirtyfirst of each year.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to housing units receiving a certificate of occupancy on or after January first next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the private housing finance law, in relation to estab- lishing the build more, get more incentive fund
Purpose
To encourage municipalities across New York State to support and facili- tate the creation of new housing by establishing a state-funded incen- tive program that rewards local governments for producing net new hous- ing units, including affordable, supportive, senior, and public housing.
Summary of provisions
Section one of the bill states the act shall be known as the "Build More, Get More Act."
Read the full memo (654 words)
Section two of the bill adds a new Article 28 to the Private Housing Finance Law establishing the "Build More, Get More Incentive Fund," to be administered by the New York State Housing Trust Fund Corporation. The bill defines "net new housing units" and "eligible housing units" to include rental housing, homeownership housing, affordable housing, supportive housing senior housing accessory dwelling units, mixed-use developments with residential units, and conversions from nonresidential to residential use.
The legislation establishes incentive payments to municipalities based on the number and type of housing units produced, including:
* $10,000 per net new housing unit;
* $15,000 per affordable housing unit serving households earning up to 80 percent of area median income;
* $20,000 per deeply affordable, supportive, public, or formerly home- less housing unit;
* and $5,000 per accessory dwelling unit.
Funds awarded under the program may be used for a broad range of munici- pal purposes, including infrastructure improvements, planning and zoning functions, affordable housing preservation, code enforcement, public safety, climate resilience, and property tax relief.
The bill establishes annual certification and reporting requirements for participating municipalities and directs the corporation to verify hous- ing production data.
The legislation also includes anti-displacement and anti-gaming protections to prevent municipalities from qualifying for payments through demolition of occupied housing, conversion of protected housing stock or other abusive practices. Municipalities designated as "Pro- Housing Communities" by the State would receive a 25 percent bonus on all incentive payments.
Section three provides that the act shall take effect immediately and apply to housing units receiving certificates of occupancy on or after the next January first following enactment
Justification
New York State continues to face a severe housing shortage that has driven up rents, home prices, and housing instability in communities across the state. While the need for additional housing is widely recog- nized, municipalities often face fiscal and other barriers to approving and supporting new residential development. Local governments are frequently required to absorb the impacts of growth on infrastructure, public services, and municipal operations without receiving direct financial support tied to housing production.
This legislation creates a meaningful incentive structure to encourage municipalities to facilitate the development of new housing while ensur- ing that local communities directly benefit from growth. By rewarding municipalities for producing housing, particularly affordable, support- ive, and deeply affordable housing, the bill aligns state housing goals with local fiscal interests.
The bill also recognizes that municipalities require flexibility in how incentive funds are used. Allowing local governments to invest in infrastructure, planning capacity, public safety, environmental resili- ence, and tax relief ensures that communities can responsibly accommo- date growth while addressing local priorities.
Importantly, the legislation includes strong safeguards against displacement and manipulation of the program by prohibiting incentives for demolition of occupied housing without replacement or conversion of protected affordable housing into market-rate units. At a time when New York urgently needs additional housing production at all income levels, this legislation provides a collaborative, incentive-based framework to encourage municipalities to become active partners in addressing the state's housing crisis.
Legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications
Fiscal implications to the state would depend on future appropriations and housing production levels.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to housing units receiving certificates of occupancy on or after January first next succeeding the date on which it shall have become law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.