Mitchell-Lama Mitchell-Lama housing began with the Mitchell-Lama Housing Act of 1955, which was intended to spur the construction and preservation of middle-income housing in New York City. The Mitchell Lama Act provided government loan guarantees and tax abatements for developers who built Mitchell-Lama projects.

How Was Mitchell Lama Program Created?

The Mitchell Lama program created thousands of Mitchell-Lama apartments in New York City. Mitchell Lama apartments are rentals or co-ops that have restricted rents and income levels, in order to make them affordable for middle-income families. Mitchell Lama projects are usually large buildings with hundreds of apartments.

Advantages of a Mitchell Lama Program

Mitchell Lama developers received low-interest loans and tax breaks in order to build Mitchell-Lama housing. Mitchell Lama landlords could not raise the rents on Mitchell-Lama apartments as much as they might otherwise, and Mitchell Lama tenants had to be of a certain income level.

Mitchell-Lama Coop Buildings

The Mitchell Lama program also created Mitchell-Lama coop buildings, which were often organized into coops by building employees themselves. Mitchell-lama coops are Mitchell-Lama buildings in which the tenants are the shareholders of the corporation that owns the building.

The Mitchell Lama program was very successful in creating affordable middle-income housing in New York City. Mitchell Lama apartments were often more affordable than regular market-rate apartments, and Mitchell Lama coops offered residents a chance to own their homes. Mitchell-Lama regulation ended in certain Mitchell Lama buildings as those buildings paid off the Mitchell Lama loans. Mitchell Lama projects were sold to private developers, who could charge market rents for those Mitchell Lama apartments.

The Mitchell-Lama program was costly for the government and taxpayers, but it created a huge number of homes affordable to middle-class New Yorkers. Mitchell Lama housing is still an important part of the New York City landscape, with about 45,000 apartments currently subject to Mitchell-Lama regulation.

What is Mitchell Lama Housing?

Mitchell Lama Housing is a type of affordable housing in New York City that was created as a result of the Mitchell Lama Housing Act of 1955. Mitchell Lama Housing is often Mitchell Lama rentals or Mitchell Lama coops, which have rents that are lower than market-rate rents. Mitchell-Lama projects are large apartment buildings.

What Are Mitchell Lama Apartments?

Mitchell-lama apartments are affordable rental housing in New York City built as a result of the Mitchell Lama Act.