Carl Weisbrod, Chairman of the City Planning Commission. Image credit: CityLand
The program would amend generation-old zoning regulations to encourage construction of efficient mixed-use buildings and affordable senior housing. On September 21, 2015, the City Planning Commission issued a press release revealing two of the major programs to be implemented under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Housing New York plan. The programs, which are currently making their way through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure process, are the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Program and the Zoning for Quality and Affordability Program. The latter proposes zoning text amendments that relax Inclusionary Housing building regulations and parking requirements to enable the construction of high-quality mixed-use buildings that utilize the full amount of buildable residential space and to encourage the construction of a diverse range of affordable senior housing and long-term care facilities.
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Carl Weisbrod, Chairman of the City Planning Commission. Image credit: CityLand
The program would be the strongest inclusionary housing requirement in the nation. On September 18, 2015, the City Planning Commission initiated public review of the Department of City Planning’s application for the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program, which is one of the major programs to be implemented under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Housing New York plan. The Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program would require, rather than incentivize, residential developers to reserve a portion of newly-created housing units as permanently affordable. The program seeks to help the fifty-five percent of New York City residential-renters who are “rent burdened,” which has increased by eleven percent since 2000.
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East New York rezoning map. Image credit: DCP
The proposal would create new affordable housing, public parks, and other community improvements. On September 21, 2015, the City Planning Commission began the public review process for the Department of City Planning’s proposal to rezone several neighborhoods in Brooklyn. The East New York Community Plan would invest in the improvement of the East New York, Ocean Hill, and Cypress Hills neighborhoods of Brooklyn—represented by Community Boards 5 and 16—by adding affordable housing and community resources that seek to boost the local economy and prevent the displacement of existing residents.
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From Left to Right: Keynote panelists Christie Peale, Colvin Grannum, Commissioner Vicki Been, and moderator Matthew Hassett. Image credit: Center for NYC Neighborhoods
The keynote panel focused on the issues and challenges raised by affordable housing creation and preservation in New York City. On September 30, 2015, the Center for NYC Neighborhoods held its conference on the Future of Affordable Homeownership in NYC. The event was hosted at New York Law School and sponsored by NYLS, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, the Center for Real Estate Studies, the Center for New York City Law, and several other public and private institutions. The panel included Vicki Been, commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, Colvin Grannum, president and CEO of Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, Christie Peale, executive director of the Center for NYC Neighborhoods, and moderator Matthew Hassett, director of policy and communications at the Center for NYC Neighborhoods.
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Council Member Jumaane D. Williams hears testimony on strengthening rent regulation laws. Image credit: William Alatriste/New York City Council
Legislation would extend rent stabilization laws for three years and call on state legislature to strengthen existing laws. On March 2, 2015 the City Council Committee on Housing and Buildings held a public hearing on Intro 685, a proposed law to amend the city’s administrative code and extend New York City’s existing rent stabilization laws. Intro 685 declares the existence of a “housing emergency”, where the city’s vacancy rate drops below 5 percent, and the declaration is required under the New York City Rent Stabilization Law to extend rent stabilization.
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