City officials overseeing a major overhaul of the Big Apple's zoning rules were slammed by local police this week for living in neighborhoods that would be “unaffected” by the new plan.
The City Council began two days of public hearings Monday to scrutinize Mayor Eric Adams' ambitious City of Yes plan, which aims to build 109,000 new homes over the next 15 years. .
Dan Galodnick, director of the Department of City Planning, who lives in a $2.6 million three-bedroom duplex in Manhattan's upscale Upper West Side/Central Park West historic district, told lawmakers on Monday that he would like to discuss the plan. In response to questions, he said the plan will come true. “Please take the citywide housing crisis seriously.”
But Councilwoman Vicki Palladino (R-Queens) fired back at Garodnick at a hearing the next day, saying she didn't have to worry about the plan affecting her.
“Dan won't be touched,” Palladino exclaimed Tuesday, adding that the “little guy” would be most likely to be affected.
The landmark proposal, officially named “City of Yes for Housing Opportunity,” would maintain existing legal protections for historic homes, and changes to landmarks and historic districts would still be subject to review by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. is required.
Palladino argues that such “protections” will encourage developers to look to neighborhoods like hers and bypass the approval processes and aesthetic considerations that occur in upscale historic districts. did.
“Supporting the City of Yes from a landmark $10 million brownstone in Brooklyn or a historic co-op building on the Upper East Side is a no-brainer. I think so,” she told the Post after the hearing.
This major overhaul marks the first major change to the city's zoning since 1961.
If the additional space is devoted to below-market-rate apartments, developers would be offered a “bonus” to build buildings 20% more expensive.
More apartments will be built around transportation hubs and on top of buildings in commercial districts, allowing homeowners to build up to 800 square feet of apartments in basements, garages and attics, and increasing the number of apartments in office towers. Diversion may become easier.
The plan also makes it easier for certain landmark buildings to transfer development rights and obtain funding to cover often-expensive upkeep costs, a city spokesperson said.
Development is concentrated in low-income neighborhoods, and the proposal hopes to “address that disparity,” officials said.
“The Landmark Preservation Review does not preclude the kind of contextual development that is possible through City of Yes,” they said.
“Our preference for universal affordability and our office-to-residential conversion proposal will result in thousands of affordable homes being built across Manhattan.”
The administration contends that the city is overcoming a housing shortage that has seen new construction fail to keep up with population growth and the vacancy rate has fallen to 1.4%, the lowest in decades.
“We don't have to live like this,” First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres Springer said at a rally in front of City Hall on Tuesday.
“A pro-housing opportunity city is our chance, perhaps our generation’s chance, to solve our housing crisis and bring real relief to our neighborhoods.”
Torres Springer blamed critics, saying it was “a small number of loud and well-housed people” who were drowning out the voices of those “who depend on us to provide solutions.” said.
“Older people who want to age with dignity, young people who want a future in this city, families who want to grow up here, and working-class New Yorkers who feel oppressed,” she said. added.
The City Council is expected to revise and vote on the proposal, which the City Planning Commission approved in September, by the end of the year.
