In response to the housing crisis in NYC, Mayor Eric Adams, Governor Kathy Hochul, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, and DCP Director Dan Garodnick introduced the “City of Yes for Housing Opportunity” zoning proposal. With a rental vacancy rate of 1.4%, this amendment aims to address restrictive zoning rules and the housing crisis by promising 80,000 new homes over the next 15 years and a $5 billion investment in infrastructure and housing. Mayor Adams lauded the legislation as a bold move benefiting working-class New Yorkers.
The plan includes initiatives like the Universal Affordability Preference (UAP), allowing for more housing in medium- and high-density developments, construction of apartment buildings near transit, legalization of small ADUs, updating parking mandates, and more. Housing activist Shams DaBaron emphasized the importance of this decision in combating homelessness and undoing decades of discriminatory zoning policies. The focus is now on providing a right to housing instead of settling for a right to shelter, marking a significant step towards solving the homelessness crisis.