New York City approves a plan to create 80,000 new homes
The plan includes zoning changes to build more housing
THE New York City Council approved an ambitious plan on Thursday (Dec 6) that could make way for 80,000 new homes over the next 15 years, the most significant effort to address the city’s housing crisis in decades.
The plan, known as “City of Yes,” has been one of Mayor Eric Adams’ top priorities and includes zoning changes to build more housing in a city where rents have soared and the vacancy rate is at its lowest level in half a century.
The plan passed with 31 yes votes in the 51-member council, a sign of the contentious negotiations that have consumed City Hall for months.
City leaders appeared to understand that they had to do something to address high housing costs. The number of homeless New Yorkers has risen, and roughly 1 in 8 public school students were homeless last year. About 500,000 households spend at least half of their income on rent.
Adams, a Democrat, and his administration won over sceptical lawmakers by agreeing to spend an additional US$5 billion on affordable housing and infrastructure projects and by scaling back some of the boldest proposals.
The goal is to build “a little more housing in every neighbourhood” by changing rules around parking mandates for new construction and adding homes above stores and in basements. Opposition was fierce in neighbourhoods on Staten Island and in Queens that have many single-family homes, with residents objecting to the prospect of new high-rise apartments.
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Mitchell Moss, a professor of urban policy at New York University, praised leaders for reaching a compromise and said that the city needed to build housing, especially near subway stations.
“We’ve had a lost decade of housing development in New York City, and this is the start of changing that,” he said. “We have to keep going.”
The council speaker, Adrienne Adams, had urged members to focus on what was best for the city – not just for their districts – at a moment when the high cost of living is pushing many families to move away.
“This council cannot be the body that says no to people who need a place to live,” she said in a passionate speech in the council chambers before the vote, adding: “We cannot do nothing.”
The mayor celebrated the victory Thursday evening at a City Hall rally with Governor Kathy Hochul, who committed US$1 billion in state funding to help secure a deal. Pointing to a diorama of new apartments built over a deli and a salon, Eric Adams said the plan would help lower rents for New Yorkers.
“We showed the nation that government can still be bold and brave by passing the most pro-housing piece of legislation in city history,” he said.
The mayor, who is running for reelection, has record-low approval ratings and was indicted in September on federal corruption charges.
He was largely absent from the push to get the plan approved. Instead, he relied on two allies: Dan Garodnick, the director of the Department of City Planning, and Maria Torres-Springer, his first deputy mayor.
Tensions flared during the negotiations between Eric and Adrienne Adams, who are not related. The speaker did not join the mayor’s victory rally. She thanked Hochul and Garodnick before the vote without saying anything positive about the mayor.
Adrienne Adams had pushed for additional funding to be included in the deal, which resulted in US$2 billion for affordable housing; US$2 billion for infrastructure projects, including sewer upgrades; and US$1 billion for public housing, vouchers, tenant protections and other measures.
Many housing experts and elected officials said that the plan was meaningful progress, but that the city had to go further to build more housing quickly.
Zellnor Myrie, a state senator from the Brooklyn borough who is running for mayor, released a housing plan this week that called for building or preserving 1 million homes over the next decade. He proposed a “Mega Midtown” plan to increase density with mixed-income rental towers in that area of Manhattan.
“The passage of City of Yes is a step in the right direction; now it’s time to start running,” he said.
The plan creates three zones for parking mandates, removing them – or reducing them significantly – in certain areas and keeping them in areas that have fewer public transit options. Many new developments, including affordable housing and homes near transit hubs, would no longer be required to provide parking.
The rules would also make it easier to build backyard cottages and basement apartments. And they would give developers an option to build bigger buildings than they currently can, if they include apartments available only to lower- or moderate-income residents or those who are struggling with homelessness.
David Carr, a Republican council member from Staten Island, voted against the plan on Thursday, arguing that the environmental effects had not been properly studied.
“I believe that this text amendment will not survive a legal challenge and one is likely to be forthcoming,” he said. NYTIMES
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