NY Mult Dwell L § 275 (2021)
2021 New York Laws MDW - Multiple Dwelling Article 7-B - Joint Living-Work Quarters for Artists, or General Residential Occupancy of Loft, Commercial or Manufacturing Buildings 275 - Legislative Findings.

§  275.  Legislative findings. It is hereby declared and found that in   cities with a population in excess of  one  million,  large  numbers  of   loft,  manufacturing,  commercial,  institutional,  public and community   facility buildings have lost, and continue to  lose,  their  tenants  to   more modern premises; and that the untenanted portions of such buildings   constitute  a  potential  housing  stock  within  such  cities  which is   capable,  when   appropriately   altered,   of   accommodating   general   residential  use,  thereby contributing to an alleviation of the housing   shortage most severely affecting moderate and  middle  income  families,   and  of  accommodating  joint living-work quarters for artists by making   readily available space which is physically  and  economically  suitable   for use by persons regularly engaged in the arts.There  is  a  public  purpose  to  be  served by making accommodations   readily available for joint living-work quarters  for  artists  for  the   following reasons:  persons regularly engaged in the arts require larger   amounts of space for the pursuit of their artistic endeavors and for the   storage  of  the materials therefor and of the products thereof than are   regularly to be found in dwellings subject to  this  article;  that  the   financial  remunerations  to be obtained from pursuit of a career in the   arts are generally small; that as a result  of  such  limited  financial   remuneration  persons  regularly  engaged  in the arts generally find it   financially impossible to maintain quarters for  the  pursuit  of  their   artistic  endeavors  separate  and apart from their places of residence;   that the cultural life of cities of more than one million persons within   this state and of the state as a whole is enhanced by the  residence  in   such  cities  of large numbers of persons regularly engaged in the arts;   that the high cost of land within  such  cities  makes  it  particularly   difficult for persons regularly engaged in the arts to obtain the use of   the  amounts of space required for their work as aforesaid; and that the   residential use of the space is secondary or accessory  to  the  primary   use as a place of work.It  is  further declared that the legislation governing the alteration   of such  buildings  to  accommodate  general  residential  use  must  of   necessity  be more restrictive than statutes heretofore in effect, which   affected only joint living-work quarters for artists.It is the  intention  of  this  legislation  to  promulgate  statewide   minimum  standards  for  all alterations of non-residential buildings to   residential use, but the legislature is cognizant that the use  of  such   buildings  for residential purposes must be consistent with local zoning   ordinances. The legislature further recognizes that it is  the  role  of   localities  to adopt regulations which will define in further detail the   manner in which alterations should be carried out where  building  types   and conditions are peculiar to their local environment.