Apparently it's a “town of maybes.”
Mayor Eric Adams' ambitious citywide “City of Jesus” rezoning plan is facing fierce opposition from City Council members who want to delay the plan while a federal corruption investigation into City Hall continues.
A proposal for a major urban planning overhaul that's a staple of the mayor's political agenda cleared a new hurdle Wednesday with approval from the city's Urban Planning Commission, but it still needs City Council approval, which may be asking too much.
In a statement, City Councilman Robert Holden called on the city to “step back, postpone this proposal and put it on the ballot as a ballot measure or election topic for next year's City Council election.”
“The City's pro-housing opportunity policies are an affront to New Yorkers, especially those in the suburban boroughs,” Holden said.
“With no plans to upgrade our infrastructure – an aging power grid, deteriorated roads, punctured sewer systems, under-resourced schools – and a recent storm killing a resident in a basement apartment, the last thing we should be doing is moving forward with a hasty plan that most community boards and countless civic groups oppose,” he said.
The comments come amid growing concern among many city politicians that an ongoing federal corruption investigation into Adams' administration could mean the end of Mayor Adams' tenure at City Hall anyway.
The federal investigation has already rocked the administration, with Schools Chancellor David Banks announcing his resignation this week, following the resignations of other senior Adams staffers, including Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg and NYPD Commissioner Edward Cavan.
Cavan's successor, Interim Police Commissioner Thomas Donlon, a former senior FBI official, confirmed that federal agents had searched his home as recently as last week.
The study has left some in the city uneasy about moving forward with the City of Yes plan, but city planners say the reforms are long overdue and needed.
The plan would bring about the first major changes to the city's zoning since 1961.
Its official name is the “Pro-Economic Opportunity City,” and it offers developers a “bonus” to build 20 percent more if they dedicate the extra space to below-market-rate apartments.
The bill would allow more apartments to be built on the upper floors of buildings around transportation hubs and in commercial districts, allow homeowners to build apartments of up to 800 square feet in their basements, garages and attics, and make it easier to convert office buildings into apartments.
“We're moving forward,” city Planning Director Dan Garodnick told The Washington Post on Wednesday. “The plans are moving forward. The process that's been formalized here just went through the city Planning Commission.”
“Council will decide on this in the next few days,” he said. “Council has 50 days to consider it and then another two weeks if they decide to amend it. I expect amendments will be made. We'll have a vote here.”
Mayor Adams' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Washington Post on Wednesday, but the mayor spoke about the plan at a press conference on Tuesday.
“People need housing and everybody has to vote their conscience,” he said. “People need housing and that won't change. And we all know what the vacancy rate is because we've said it over and over again.”
“We need housing in our city, and this plan to get housing is a very aggressive one,” he added. “I hope that the City Council will take notice of this.”
Some critics, including suburban districts, said a one-size-fits-all approach won't work.
“Staten Island's delegation is demanding specific changes, and we will steadfastly reject them unless our unique situation is addressed,” said City Councilman Joseph Borelli.
“Almost all of us moved here from Brooklyn at some point,” he said. “We don't want to be Brooklyn.”
