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Adams ‘City of Yes’ Housing Boost Clears Planning Commission, Will Face Council Skeptics ()
The City Planning Commission overwhelmingly approved Mayor Eric Adams’ ambitious City of Yes rezoning plan by a vote of 10 to 3, setting up a two-month deadline to win approval from the City Council.
But with the mayor’s indictment Wednesday night, the prospects for the proposal, which CPC Chair Dan Garodnick called “one of the most momentous projects in the history of city planning,” suddenly is thrust into limbo.
The indictment came after the three no votes and reservations voiced by some members of the commission echoed the complaints of people in low-density neighborhoods who worry that their character will be fundamentally changed by the rezoning.
“The current zoning structure already provides many opportunities for new housing units and does it in a way that enables the communities where new housing occurs not to have undermined all the reasons why they chose to call their neighborhood home,” said Fred Cerullo, who was appointed by Staten Island and voted no.
The other no votes came from tenant lawyer Leah Goodrich, appointed by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and Brooklyn representative Juan Camilo Osorio — whose “no” vote raised eyebrows because Borough President Antonio Reynoso is such a strong supporter of the plan.
The proposed amendment to the city’s zoning laws contains far-reaching changes that accelerate conversion of office buildings to residential use, create a 20% density bonus for projects that add lower-cost apartments, and open the door to allowing more density in areas that already contain large buildings.
Winning 26 votes in the City Council to preserve those provisions — as scandals continue to swirl around Mayor Eric Adams — will be a tall political challenge even considering a housing crisis that has led to a 1.4% vacancy rate, the lowest in decades, and rising rents that mean half of New Yorkers pay more than 30% of their income in rent.
Opposition centers on provisions that would spur more housing in low-density neighborhoods by allowing up to apartment buildings of up to five stories above retail stores on commercial corridors and increasing allowed density around transit stops.
The commissioners who voted no also sided with many opponents on two other key provisions, one that would eliminate existing requirements for a specified number of parking spots for new construction, and another that would allow backyard apartments or residential use of garages, known as accessory dwelling units.
Each parking space can add as much as $150,000 to the cost of a project. And accessory units have been a successful model elsewhere, accounting for 20% of all construction in California, which has emphasized them as a solution to its housing crisis.
The commission made four changes to the proposal before approving it.
The most important tweak exempted public housing developments from measures that would newly allow infill development on campus-style properties with multiple buildings on them. The city planning staff said the change would conflict with federal rules — but insiders say some Council members insisted NYCHA be removed.
The commissioner approved some other minor changes. Supporters of the proposal immediately moved to pressure the Council to approve the package with minimal if any changes.
The Yes to Housing coalition, consisting of 140 civic and community development groups, immediately began publicizing a poll conducted by a fellow at the civic group Reinvent Albany that showed 71% of New Yorkers supported City of Yes with only 22% opposed. The only provisions not to win the backing of a majority of the some 1,700 voters polled were the end to minimum parking mandates and a provision to reauthorize shared housing in buildings, designed to provide dorm-like units for younger adults.
The civic group Open Plans will hold a rally at City Hall Thursday to push for preserving the proposed elimination of minimum parking requirements.
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