Albany leaving rent work undone

The state Assembly is heading toward legislative overtime as state lawmakers push to wrap up their business for the year.

But some of the biggest news to emerge in the final days of the legislative session concerns what Albany Democrats could not pass this year — including an affordable housing deal amid skyrocketing rents.

Thousands of units might have gotten built had the Legislature approved an extension of the 421a tax abatement for real estate developments for projects already underway, according to Andrew Fine, policy director at the housing advocacy group Open New York.

“There were a lot of different bills at the end of session that could have produced better, more efficient and less expensive homes over time, and the Legislature chose to do none of them,” Fine said.

Gov. Hochul’s refusal to play ball in the final days of the session comes after suburbanites helped scuttle her own affordable housing push in the budget process.

“It was clear that we could not come to an agreement with the governor on this plan. It takes all three parties,” Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) said in a joint statement.

Hochul spokeswoman Julie Wood said Democratic lawmakers had many months to demonstrate they were serious about housing.