New York City Council subcommittee votes to pass Mayor Adams' 'City of Yes' affordable housing plan
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Mayor Eric Adams' plan for more affordable housing went before the New York City Council on Thursday.
The council's Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises and Committee on Land Use passed the "City of Yes for Housing Opportunity Plan" by a 4-2 vote. Now that the plan has passed through the committees, the full council will likely vote on it during a Dec. 5 meeting.
Both Mayor Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul celebrated the agreement to advance the plan.
"Everyday New Yorkers have carried the burden of a generational housing crisis for far too long. Today, in partnership with Governor Hochul, Speaker Adams, and Chairs Salamanca and Riley, we are one step closer to delivering long overdue relief through the 'City of Yes for Housing Opportunity,'" Mayor Adams said.
"New York has a housing affordability crisis and there's only one way out: build more housing," Governor Hochul said. "That's why earlier this year, I fought tooth-and-nail for a major package of reforms and investments that will build thousands of new homes for everyday New Yorkers."
The mayor's office had been working with council members to reach a consensus on the package.
"I think we can land a plane on the City of Yes," the mayor said during his Tuesday availability, using his favorite aviation analogy.
He said First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams have had "good healthy conversations. And we want to we want to get this done for the people of the city."
The zoning changes attempt to spur more housing production by updating decades-old rules, including:
- New construction no longer requires off-street parking.
- Homeowners can build apartments on single-family lots.
- Developers can build at least 20% more housing in construction projects as long as it is affordable.
Some council members objected to eliminating the parking mandates, particularly in parts of the city that do not have much access to public transit, and adding more housing to parts of the city with aging infrastructure.
The council has its own housing plan, dubbed the "City for All" that could accompany the mayor's "City of Yes," requiring developers to build more deeply affordable housing in projects greenlit under "City of Yes" and putting more dollars toward improving infrastructure in neighborhoods touched by the changes.
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