On Friday, November 22, the City Council gave its preliminary approval to City of Yes for Housing Opportunity. Two committee hearings were delayed for hours as the Council and City Hall negotiated changes to the proposal, which promises the biggest changes to New York’s zoning in decades.
The negotiations yielded some improvements. Council Members heard from their constituents and the majority of Community Boards that disapproved of the proposal. Our thanks to all of you who reached out to your Council Member.
The Conservancy was pleased to see that the changes we requested were part of the final bill.
- Provisions to reduce green space were pushed back.
- Landmarks will have more opportunities to transfer their air rights, but now the larger new buildings that receive the air rights will still require public review.
While the City has promoted the proposal as a way to add housing, many measures did not require affordable housing. Negotiations added an astonishing pot of $5 billion from the City and State for infrastructure improvements and to promote affordable housing. The outlines of this funding are promising, but it’s far from clear how the funds will be used, and how much affordable housing they will produce.
Even with these changes, the proposal did not pass unanimously as most bills do. In two unusual votes, the Zoning Subcommittee voted 4-3 in favor, while the Land Use Committee approved the proposal 8-2 with one abstention.
The full Council will have a hearing on City of Yes for Housing Opportunity on December 5.