***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
PRESS RELEASE for: Tuesday, July 9, 2024
CONTACT: Winthrop Roosevelt // 617-680-0158 // wroosevelt@manhattanbp.nyc.gov
NEW YORK — In response to New York City’s severe housing crisis, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine is calling for changes to the “City of Yes for Housing Opportunity” (COY Housing) proposal, which aims to reform the city’s zoning regulations to boost housing production.
“New York City is facing an unprecedented housing crisis,” said Borough President Levine. “An anemic production rate is accelerating demand sending rents skyrocketing, forcing families out of the five boroughs. It’s time for a change.”
The city-wide proposal is currently undergoing public review. It requires input from Borough Presidents and Community Boards before proceeding to the City Planning Commission for a vote.
Borough President Levine approved the plan on Tuesday, citing its immense promise to create affordable housing in the city, but also identified several recommendations to enhance its effectiveness.
To support these recommendations, the BP’s office analyzed the potential impacts of the “City of Yes” plan on Manhattan and issued a comprehensive report. “City of Yes is a transformative initiative that addresses many critical aspects of our housing crisis. However, with the proposed enhancements, we can make an already great plan even more powerful in delivering the affordable housing New Yorkers desperately need,” said Borough President Levine.
Current rules hinder the transformation of vacant office buildings into residences, prioritize parking over housing, and restrict new construction near transit hubs and businesses, exacerbating the city’s housing shortage.
While he believes COY Housing would be a transformative change in the City’s ability to produce affordable housing, his analysis found that the plan could be improved in these key areas:
- Incentives for Affordable Housing: The City wants to give developers more space to build if they include affordable apartments. This is known as Universal Affordability Preference, or UAP for short. UAP would apply in high density residential neighborhoods and make it easier to build more affordable housing.
Recommendations:
- Require that the City Planning Commission track and certify the effective use of the UAP option by condo and co-op developments before eliminating the off-site option.
- Ensure that supportive housing includes spaces for programming.
- Turning Offices into Homes: The City wants to make it simpler to convert empty offices into apartments. This proposal could mean more homes in buildings with vacant or underutilized office space.
Recommendations:
- Add a sunset date for this provision.
- Develop guidelines for conversions within historic districts.
- Require building amenities, including large trash rooms, package rooms, and bicycle storage.
- Less Parking, More Housing: The City is thinking of getting rid of the rules that require parking spaces for new buildings. This change would free up space for more homes.
Recommendations:
- Work with other City agencies to provide alternative infrastructure, including bike and pedestrian infrastructure.
- Institute a municipal parking program in collaboration with the Department of Transportation.
- Building Homes on Campus: The City proposes to change zoning regulations to facilitate new, contextual housing on underused parts of college campuses and religious properties.
Recommendations:
- Require mitigations for the loss of well-used open space on campuses.
- Develop a mechanism to require affordable units where Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) would not apply.
- Ensure ample consultation with local communities and NYCHA residents.
- Smaller, More Affordable Apartments: The City wants to make it easier to build smaller apartments and housing that people can share. This proposal could help people who can’t afford to live alone under the current structure find more affordable options.
Recommendations:
- Require on-site social services for projects with supportive housing units.
- Update Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) requirements and subsidy programs to include alternative housing typologies.
To read the BP’s comprehensive report on the “City of Yes for Housing Opportunity” plan and the recommendations for its optimization, please visit here.
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