How Will the Mayor’s “City of Yes” Plan Impact Your Neighborhood?
The New York City Planning Commission is scheduled to vote on Mayor Eric Adams’ “City of Yes for Housing Opportunity” on Wednesday. City Planning has promoted and fast-tracked the plan. So the Commission is expected to approve it–likely with little, or no, modification.
The plan is a drastic overhaul of the entire City zoning process. We question whether the results are “the City you want to live in.” It will go to the City Council next. So it will be up to everyone concerned to press the Council for changes.
The plan curtails future public input on development. The Council should ensure that residents continue to have a say in how their neighborhoods will evolve and grow.
The plan promotes market-rate housing. There are several ways developers could get bonuses for larger buildings. There is one bonus for including affordable units. But those units must stay affordable permanently. That may be a deal breaker for developers and could severely impact any new affordable housing. The City believes encouraging more market-rate housing will eventually lead to more moderate and affordable housing. That has not been the experience of other cities that tried this approach. There have been vast new housing projects across the boroughs without impacting the City’s affordability.
The plan favors buildings over green space. They are reducing the current 30-foot residential rear yard requirement and encouraging small dwelling units at the back or side of buildings.
The plan does allow certain landmarks to transfer air rights over a greater distance. But it isn’t clear how that will impact the areas where they are used for larger buildings.
It’s safe to say that most people aren’t aware of how this plan will impact neighborhoods throughout the City. Not many people could plow through a more than 1200-page document. City Planning reduced it to “a little more housing everywhere.”
The City Council needs to hear residents’ concerns.
Ask them to tell you specifically how the Mayor’s plan will impact your neighborhood. And demand that the Council address residents’ concerns