Establishes the build up New York pilot program and the mass timber for affordable housing program to encourage the use of mass timber in affordable housing retrofits and additions
Summary
Establishes the build up New York pilot program to provide grants to eligible municipalities that construct new accessory dwelling unit housing projects built on top of existing buildings that utilize mass timber and serve certain households; establishes the mass timber for affordable housing program to provide tax credits for eligible taxpayers who use mass timber in certain new construction or major retrofits of existing buildings that primarily serve households up to one hundred fifty percent of the area median income; establishes tax credits for mass timber production.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 15, 2026
Last action May 18, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
S8918
→
S8918A
·
4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended to expand its scope by adding mass timber production incentives and clarifying that qualifying affordable housing projects can be built 'from the ground up,' not just on top of existing buildings. The definition of mass timber was updated to remove specific product types like laminated veneer lumber and parallel strand lumber, while the pilot program now prioritizes timber harvested from New York forests with approved management plans.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded from solely focusing on affordable housing construction to also include incentives for mass timber production facilities and machinery.
ELIGIBILITY
Qualifying affordable housing projects are now eligible if built on top of existing buildings or from the ground up, expanding the range of eligible construction types.
SCOPE
Added tax credits for mass timber production and incentives for facilities and machinery that produce mass timber products within New York state forests.
DEFINITION
The definition of 'mass timber' was revised to remove specific product types such as laminated veneer lumber and parallel strand lumber.
REQUIREMENT
Priority is now given to qualifying affordable housing projects using mass timber harvested within New York from forests with an approved management plan.
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
4
Key actions
2
Committee
2
Amendments
2
May 18, 2026
Committee
REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO FINANCE
upper
Apr 16, 2026
Upper · Passed
PRINT NUMBER 8918A
upper
Apr 16, 2026
Upper · Passed
AMEND (T) AND RECOMMIT TO HOUSING, CONSTRUCTION AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
upper
Jan 15, 2026
Committee
REFERRED TO HOUSING, CONSTRUCTION AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Brian Kavanagh
DDemocratic
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