Backers of ‘City of Yes’ housing plan prepare final secret weapon to try to push it through
Backers of Mayor Eric Adams’ “City of Yes” housing plan are mounting a final blitz to try to pressure the City Council into approving the zoning overhaul — and they’re going straight to New Yorkers with it.
The housing plan — the proposed first major change to the city’s zoning rules since 1961 that would allow builders to create tens of thousands of new homes — will face a series of key votes starting later this week.
But the measure, a cornerstone of the Adams administration, faces heavy opposition among members of the City Council. Many of the foes have been vocal with their criticisms, including Councilman Bob Holden, who said the city should be upgrading its failing infrastructure instead.
“The last thing we should be doing is pushing forward a rushed plan that most community boards and countless civic associations oppose,” the Queens Democrat said earlier this fall.
Proponents are moving forward anyway, saying in a recent press release that advocates, unions and city leaders will hold events, put out ads and post fliers at subway stops to encourage New Yorkers to push for the plan, which would build affordable housing throughout the five boroughs.
One such event will be held Monday at City Hall Park in Lower Manhattan, organizers said Sunday.
“Nearly two weeks following an election where New Yorkers clearly laid out the need for more housing and a solution to the affordability crisis, supporters of ‘City of Yes for Housing Opportunity’ are calling on city leaders to advance the proposal to deliver homes New Yorkers need and can afford,” organizers said in a statement.
Other advocates, such as “Da Homeless Hero” Shams DaBaron, echoed the sentiment.
“The housing crisis affects everyone in New York — and every community must play a role,” he said in the statement. “If we do not build more homes, we will build more homeless shelters.”
“‘City of Yes’ is the solution we’ve been looking for: a little more housing everywhere that adds up to a lot more affordability for New Yorkers,” he continued.
“When housing goes up, rents go down — and we all win. We must pass this visionary plan.”
The measure would provide a “bonus” to developers to build 20% higher — as long as the added space is dedicated to more affordable, lower-than-market-rate units.
It would also let builders create more apartments around transit hubs and atop commercial strips, let homeowners construct smaller apartments in basements, garages and attics, and make it easier to convert empty office towers into livable homes.
The council’s land use committee will vote on the proposal Thursday — with the full City Council expected to vote on it Dec. 5.
