City council members have raised concerns about the next steps of Mayor Eric Adams’ groundbreaking “City of Yes” plan to build thousands of apartments in the East Bronx, arguing the chosen area lacks critical infrastructure.
Councillors last week sounded the alarm over a Bronx Metro-North district plan that would add 7,500 new housing units along with four new train stations in Hunts Point, Parkchester/Van Nest, Morris Park and Co-op City.
But critics say the 46 blocks along the Metro-North rail line that the city wants to redevelop don’t have enough schools, police officers, firefighters or even sewer systems to accommodate an influx of new residents.
“The Bronx certainly needs more housing, but housing alone is not enough,” local Assemblyman Kevin Reilly (D) said during a public hearing at City Hall on Tuesday.
“If we want to attract more people to our neighborhoods, we need to improve our existing infrastructure to deal with the frequent flooding from storms we experience, add more park space, more schools, and increase funding for our fire and police departments,” said Reilly, who also serves as chairman of the Zoning Franchise Board.
The opposition to the Bronx reforms highlights the uphill battle facing a major policy initiative of Mayor Adams’ first term that aims to overhaul 60-year-old zoning laws and pull the city out of a severe housing crisis.
City officials estimate that the five borough overhaul could bring more than 100,000 new housing units to New York City over the next 15 years, including eliminating parking mandates for new housing projects, increasing permits for office-to-residential conversions and allowing developers to build 20 percent more by including affordable housing units in their buildings.
But while nearly all city and state politicians agree that the Big Apple desperately needs more affordable housing, City Council members warn the mayor’s plan is moving too fast.
Queens Borough Councilwoman Vicki Paladino (R) bluntly told the City Planning Commission that the changes are being “pushed through like a freight train.”
“Do a pilot program. Experiment first. Or stop now, because the city is not yet ready to be a ‘yes city,'” Paladino said.
This is not the first time lawmakers have raised concerns about the speed of reform.
Last fall, lawmakers were stunned when it emerged that the Adams administration had not consulted the Office of Emergency Management about flooding issues when developing the foundation plan.
Palladino, Noting that the community board in her largely suburban neighborhood in northeast Queens had “vehemently” voted against the plan, she was one of more than 200 people who attended and spoke at a marathon public hearing on the proposed rezoning on Wednesday, which began mid-morning and dragged on into the early hours of the next day.
So far, 35 community boards have voted against the proposal and 15 have voted in favor. The Real Deal tally.
Critics said the plan favours big developers and would change the character of established neighbourhoods.
Queens Councilwoman Joan Arriola, a Republican, called the massive effort “a complete disaster.”
“This plan will pave the way for big developers to trample over small businesses and homeowners, turning our city into a place where only the interests of those with the money to build and who only care about their own profits are prioritized, while the voices of other local residents, like mom-and-pop shops, will suddenly be stifled,” Arriola said.
Nuha Ansari, executive director of the Friends of the Upper East Side group, said the plan’s removal of some of the restrictions would reduce much-needed air and light for residents in Manhattan’s densely populated areas.
“Manhattan, especially the Upper East Side, has so many very tall buildings that it’s really important to maintain the existing amount of (open space) in those areas,” Ansari told The Washington Post.
“I don’t think that’s the path we should be taking, especially with global warming,” Ansari said.
Adams administration officials said in a statement they were “appreciative” of the feedback from lawmakers and residents.
“The City Planning Commission is taking seriously the public feedback we have received, including testimony at public hearings, recommendations from community boards and borough presidents, and input from stakeholders across the city, and will continue to consider potential revisions over the coming months to develop the most complete and thoughtful policy,” City Planning Director Dan Garodnick said.
Key stakeholders in the city, including the borough leaders of Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx, support a plan to make major changes to at least some of the city’s planning laws.
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson expressed support for the proposal but said she would not support lifting the parking ban.
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine said the city’s outdated zoning rules have created a severe housing shortage that can only be fixed with an overhaul of regulations.
“Our city is experiencing strong demand for housing, a severe supply shortage, and sluggish housing construction. These trends are leading to devastating rent increases that threaten to upend the lives of an entire generation of New Yorkers,” Levine told the City Planning Commission.
If approved by the city’s Planning Commission in September, the proposal would go to the City Council, which is watering down a series of zoning changes already made under the “Yes City” initiative that the mayor said would boost business.
