On 86th Street in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, the developer Chess Builders is planning to build two side-by-side 99-unit buildings. In Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill, Goose Properties has planned three 99-unit buildings. In downtown Brooklyn, The Jay Group wants to build two 99-unit buildings.
This trend of 99-unit buildings is no coincidence. The Affordable Neighborhoods for New Yorkers Act (ANNY Act), passed as a part of the 2024-25 state budget, was designed to encourage construction of affordable housing and ensure that construction workers earn fair wages.
Developers, however, have found a major loophole: Projects with fewer than 100 residential units can pay their workers as little as $16.50 an hour, while developments with 100 units or more must pay a minimum of $40 an hour. This disparity in mandated minimum wage has led many developers to plan many projects with just 99 units…