While a City Council committee vote on the mayor’s proposed “City of Yes” housing plan has been delayed, negotiations between the mayor’s office and the city’s legislative body are moving forward. Though there is still no official announcement as of this writing, Adams is reportedly allocating $5 billion of city funds to sewers, open spaces, and streets, as well as affordable housing construction and preservation. $1 billion of the proposed funding will be coming from the state, as Adams has reportedly gotten governor Kathy Hochul on board with the deal.
These items obtained in the $5 billion deal were part of the “City for All” package, an alternative to the mayor’s plan proposed by Council speaker Adrienne Adams (no relation to the mayor). The funding comes in exchange for the Council’s support for “City of Yes,” according to officials familiar with the matter.
“City of Yes” is a collection of zoning rules and incentives meant to boost the city’s housing stock, which would brin down home prices for purchasers and renters. The plan includes measures tailored for high- and low-density areas around the city. In the latter, this means provisions allowing for additional dwelling units, like structures built in backyards, garages, at the basement level, or in attics. According to people familiar with the ongoing negotiations, these are still part of the plan but have been taken off the table for certain outer-borough areas.
Another point of contention is parking, as the mayor’s original plan took away any requirement for builders to provide parking, although it appears they will be preserved in some areas, In higher density neighborhoods, measures include obligating builders to include affordable housing in buildings should they choose to go above a certain height. It is estimated that the changes to the plan through these negotiations will reduce the total amount of housing projected over the next decade from 100,000 new units to 80,000. Even with the carve-outs, the plan is considered to be the most ambitious overhaul to the city’s zoning code since its adoption in 1961.
The City Council is expected to take a full vote on “City of Yes” next month.
