Join our New York News e-mail e-newsletter to get information, updates, and native insights delivered straight to your inbox!
Housing is an important pillar to the well being of our communities and this metropolis.
But, the extreme scarcity of houses throughout the 5 boroughs, particularly ones which are most inexpensive, is leaving working- and middle-class New Yorkers, who’re already dealing with financial pressures, in an not possible wrestle to safe housing. In an more and more unaffordable metropolis, New Yorkers are spending much more of their paychecks on housing than they will afford.
The historic 1.4% housing emptiness charge is sounding an alarm, which makes clear that we should considerably construct extra houses. Reforming our metropolis’s outdated zoning, whereas making significant housing and neighborhood investments, presents a significant alternative to make our metropolis extra inexpensive for each New Yorker.
As Council Members whose districts have contributed in another way to latest housing manufacturing, with one constructing essentially the most and the opposite the thirtieth most, we agree that each district’s participation is required to confront this disaster. The Council can advance an vital step in direction of this purpose by approving our modifications to the Division of Metropolis Planning’s Housing Alternative citywide zoning textual content modification, which is anticipated to construct greater than 80,000 new houses over the following 15 years. The reform plan maintains the core precept that for equitable improvement, each a part of town should create new housing. This was central to Speaker Adrienne Adams’ Truthful Housing Framework Act that was handed into regulation final yr.
On the similar time, we totally perceive that neighborhoods throughout our metropolis have distinct traits with various wants that have to be revered. In our personal districts within the Bronx, the housing inventory ranges from one-to-four household houses to massive multi-family buildings.
As Chairs of the Council’s land use committees, we listened to the suggestions of individuals throughout town who engaged within the public overview course of, together with throughout the Council’s 14-hour public listening to. The modifications we superior to the Metropolis of Sure proposal thoughtfully mirrored these considerations and balanced them with the necessity to produce extra housing. The modifications account for variations throughout neighborhoods and set up stronger necessities for extra deeply inexpensive housing to match the best want amongst New Yorkers.
The Council additionally acknowledged that our constituents and communities have important housing and infrastructure wants that can’t be met solely by producing extra housing by zoning modifications. That’s the reason the Council fought to safe a historic $5 billion in investments to assist handle these many different wants by our Metropolis for All housing plan.
For the residents of NYCHA, Mitchell-Lama, and different present inexpensive housing developments, we secured $2 billion to protect and create extra of those houses. This new funding may even assist help present householders throughout town who face the elevated prices of homeownership, whereas opening up new alternatives for extra New Yorkers to grow to be householders.
All through the general public overview course of, many residents and their Council Members highlighted the dearth of adequate infrastructure of their neighborhoods, which results in flooding, battered roads, and an absence of open area. To handle these vulnerabilities, the Council secured $2 billion in direction of strengthening neighborhood infrastructure.
The funding commitments we secured for Metropolis for All additionally embrace reinforcements for tenant protections that may assist stop displacement, housing help to fight homelessness, and help for housing companies to assist New Yorkers entry housing, advance the event of inexpensive houses, and examine buildings to make sure their security.
Making certain housing and housing safety for our constituents and all residents is prime to a thriving metropolis. New Yorkers want secure, inexpensive houses, and the Council is transferring to handle this disaster by a complete housing plan that pairs investments in housing options along with zoning reforms.
We’re assured that this considerate, fastidiously negotiated settlement, constructed with various neighborhood considerations in thoughts, is the proper step ahead for our metropolis. Now could be the time for motion, and our shared contributions to resolve our housing disaster is what is going to make sure that New Yorkers in the present day, and of tomorrow, can succeed.
Council Member Riley represents the twelfth Council District, masking the neighborhoods of Wakefield, Baychester, Eastchester, Olinville, Edenwald, Williamsbridge and Co-op Metropolis.
Council Member Salamanca represents the seventeenth Council District, masking the neighborhoods of Mott Haven, Melrose, Hunts Factors, Morrisania and extra.
