HDC Annual Conference: Challenges and Opportunities for Historic Affordable Housing

On Saturday, March 29, League President Jay DiLorenzo took part in Historic District Council’s 2025 conference, “Challenges and Opportunities for Historic Affordable Housing.” Jay spoke as part of the panel exploring Challenges and Opportunities for Historic Affordable Housing, alongside Mark Ginsberg, Founding Partner of Curtis + Ginsberg Architects, Jenna Breines, Director of Real Estate Development at West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing, Inc (WSFSSH), and panel moderator Mariana Mogilevich, Editor-in-Chief of Urban Omnibus at the Architectural League of New York.

There are organizations and professionals both within preservation and outside who are already doing the work to maintain and restore rent-stabilized housing. This panel included people who are doing the work with a focus on historic and landmark-designated buildings. What are some of the ways organizations have successfully been able to renovate these properties for the future? How can policy be used to increase renovations through using both low-income tax credits and historic tax credits? What are the barriers to being able to maintain these places, such as city backlogs, high construction costs, or community pushback? Watch the full panel discussion below.

Click here to watch all of the panels from this year’s HDC conference.