Tribeca Equity Partners, L.P. v. New York State Division of Housing & Community Renewal

49 Misc. 3d 502, 12 N.Y.S.3d 527
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedJune 24, 2015
StatusPublished

This text of 49 Misc. 3d 502 (Tribeca Equity Partners, L.P. v. New York State Division of Housing & Community Renewal) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tribeca Equity Partners, L.P. v. New York State Division of Housing & Community Renewal, 49 Misc. 3d 502, 12 N.Y.S.3d 527 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2015).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Michael D. Stallman, J.

This CPLR article 78 proceeding requires the court to determine whether Real Property Tax Law § 421-a (2) (f) (ii) and related statutes permit high rent/high income deregulation1 of an apartment after the apartment building’s section 421-a tax benefits expire.

Background

According to the petition, in 1991, petitioner Tribeca Equity Partners, L.P., applied for, and was granted, RPTL 421-a tax benefits for a building it was constructing at 105 Duane Street in Manhattan (the Building). As a condition of obtaining such tax benefits, the Building became subject to the Rent Stabilization Code (RSC) (see RPTL 421-a [2] [f]). Construction of the Building was completed in early 1994, and in April 1994, respondent Michael Anglin took occupancy of apartment 44E in the Building as a rent-stabilized tenant.

In 2008, Tribeca informed Anglin that, when the 421-a tax benefits ended in 2009, his apartment would no longer be subject to rent stabilization. Thereafter, Anglin filed a complaint with respondent New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) seeking clarification of his status as a rent-stabilized tenant.

On July 2, 2010, DHCR issued an order which held that

“[p]ursuant to Section 2520.11 (o) (2) of the Rent Stabilization Code, the owner has to attach to the tenant’s vacancy lease and each renewal lease thereof, a notice informing the tenant that the [504]*504housing accommodation shall become deregulated upon the expiration of the last lease entered into during the tax benefit period and state the date on which such tax benefit is scheduled to expire. Based upon the above, the Rent Administrator determines that the owner failed to attach to the tenant’s renewal lease proper notices regarding the expiration of the 421 (a) Partial Tax Exemption program. Therefore, the owner forfeits its rights to exempt the subject apartment from the Rent Stabilization Code/Law. Accordingly, the subject apartment remains under DHCR’s jurisdiction until the tenant vacates the subject apartment. Therefore, the Rent Administrator directs the owner to offer a renewal lease to the tenant.” (Anglin aff, exhibit B.)

Tribeca did not appeal the Rent Administrator’s July 2, 2010 order. However, on May 18, 2011, Tribeca filed an application with DHCR seeking to remove Anglin’s apartment from rent stabilization pursuant to the high rent/high income deregulation provisions of the RSC (Administrative Code of City of NY § 26-504.1).2

On December 18, 2013, DHCR’s Rent Administrator issued an order granting Tribeca’s high rent/high income deregulation petition (petition, exhibit B).

In January 2014, Anglin filed a petition for administrative review (PAR) of the December 18, 2013 order. In that PAR, Anglin argued, inter alia, that the high rent/high income deregulation order should be revoked because, in the 2010 order, DHCR had already determined that, irrespective of the expiration of the Building’s 421-a tax benefits, Anglin’s apartment would remain rent-stabilized until Anglin vacated, because Tribeca had failed to attach proper notices to Anglin’s renewal leases.

On December 8, 2014, DHCR issued its PAR determination revoking the December 2013 order that granted Tribeca’s high rent/high income deregulation petition. In the December 8, 2014 determination, the Commissioner held that

“RPTL § 421-a (2) (f) (i) provides that high rent/ high income rent deregulation is only available to apartments in buildings that became subject to the [505]*505provisions of RPTL § 421-a (2) (f) before July 3, 1984.
“RPTL § 421-a (2) (f) (ii) does not provide for high rent/high income deregulation for apartments that became subject to RPTL § 421-a (2) (f) after July 3, 1984. Those apartments may be deregulated only based upon proper lease notices as to the expiration of tax benefits or a vacancy. The subject apartment is governed by this section of the RPTL. Since it has already been determined that the owner failed to provide proper lease notices, the Commissioner finds that the subject apartment remains rent stabilized until [Anglin] vacates.” (Anglin aff, exhibit D.)

Thereafter, Tribeca commenced this article 78 proceeding which seeks to revoke DHCR’s December 2014 order as arbitrary and capricious on the grounds that: (1) the high rent/ high income deregulation provisions of the RSC are distinct from the section 421-a deregulation provisions that require lease notifications; (2) the Real Property Tax Law § 421-a (2) (f) notice provision does not exempt Anglin from high rent/high income deregulation; and (3) prior DHCR precedent, court decisions, and Administrative Code § 26-504.3 permit high rent/ high income deregulation after the 421-a tax benefits have expired.

Discussion

The standard of review in this article 78 proceeding “is whether DHCR acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner, in violation of lawful procedures, or in excess of its jurisdiction” (Matter of 73 Warren St., LLC v State of N.Y. Div. of Hous. & Community Renewal, 96 AD3d 524, 526 [1st Dept 2012], citing Matter of Pell v Board of Educ. of Union Free School Dist. No. 1 of Towns of Scarsdale & Mamaroneck, Westchester County, 34 NY2d 222 [1974]).

Moreover, it is well settled that, because the matter before the court concerns the interpretation of interrelated statutes, “the deference we are required to give the agency extends to its interpretation of [those statutes]” (73 Warren St., LLC, 96 AD3d at 526-527; Matter of Salvati v Eimicke, 72 NY2d 784, 791 [1988] [“DHCR’s interpretation of the statutes it administers, if not unreasonable or irrational, is entitled to deference”]).

In addition, when a court is called upon to construe a statute, the text of the statute is the best evidence of legislative [506]*506intent and “when the statutory language is clear and unambiguous, it should be construed so as to give effect to the plain meaning of the words used” (People v Williams, 19 NY3d 100, 103 [2012] [internal quotation marks and citation omitted]; see also Matter of Kirschner v Fisher, 117 AD3d 567, 570 [1st Dept 2014]; Matter of Heller, 23 AD3d 61, 68 [2d Dept 2005] [where the relevant statutory language is clear, the court’s role “is limited to giving effect to the language of the statute”]).

The Relevant Statutes

The first relevant statute is RPTL 421-a (2) (f) which states:

“Notwithstanding the provisions of any local law for the stabilization of rents in multiple dwellings or the emergency tenant protection act of nineteen seventy-four, the rents of a unit shall be fully subject to control under such local law or such act, unless exempt under such local law or such act from control by reason of the cooperative or condominium status of the unit, for the entire period during which the property is receiving tax benefits pursuant to this section for the period any such applicable law or act is in effect, whichever is shorter. Thereafter, such rents shall continue to be subject to such control to the same extent and in the same manner as if this section had never applied thereto, except that such rents shall be decontrolled if:

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Related

Matter of RAM I LLC v. New York State Div. of Hous. & Community Renewal
123 A.D.3d 102 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2014)
People v. Williams
968 N.E.2d 983 (New York Court of Appeals, 2012)
Salvati v. Eimicke
533 N.E.2d 1045 (New York Court of Appeals, 1988)
In re Heller
23 A.D.3d 61 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2005)
Schiffren v. Lawlor
101 A.D.3d 456 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2012)
Kirschner v. Fisher
117 A.D.3d 567 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2014)

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Bluebook (online)
49 Misc. 3d 502, 12 N.Y.S.3d 527, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tribeca-equity-partners-lp-v-new-york-state-division-of-housing-nysupct-2015.