Council passes modified ‘City of Yes’ housing plan

December 6, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a press conference at City Hall, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in New York. Photo: Yuki Iwamura/AP

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CITYWIDE – MAYOR ADAMS, GOVERNOR Hochul, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Department of City Planning Director Dan Garodnick on Thursday celebrated the passage of the mayor’s signature “City of Yes for Housing Opportunity” zoning plan, which aims to enable the creation of 80,000 new homes over the next 15 years and will invest $5 billion towards infrastructure and housing. As the city confronts a ultra-low 1.4 percent rental vacancy rate, the proposal, if fully acted on, would exceed all the housing created from rezonings during any mayoral administration of the last 50 years, according to the mayor’s office. The bill, which had been modified from an earlier form after intense debate, passed the council 31-20, reports ABC News.

Highlights of City of Yes include rollbacks on parking mandates, incentives to build and add more affordable housing to developments, legalizing small accessory dwelling units like tiny homes and shared housing with common facilities like SROs, easing commercial-to-residential conversions, zoning updates to create small apartment buildings near transit and dense districts in central areas, and permitting development on large lots, as well as other changes.

Of the $5 billion, $2 billion will be invested in housing capital and $2 billion in infrastructure projects like sewers, flood preparedness, street improvements and open space. Finally, Mayor Adams will spend $1 billion in expense funding over 10 years in tenant protection, voucher assistance and combatting source-of-income discrimination, flood monitoring and neighborhood planning, according to a press release.

The passage of City of Yes follows an extensive public review process, including over 175 Community Board meetings, and favorable recommendations from Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, as well as the BPs of Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx.

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