City Planning Commission Says Yes to Mayor’s City of Yes for Housing Opportunity

The New York City Planning Commission voted Wednesday to approve Mayor Eric Adams’s ambitious housing proposal, the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, a series of zoning changes designed to add thousands of new homes to the city.

The vote brings the proposal that could kick-start housing development in New York City to the next phase in the process, which is a vote by New York City Council. However, the Planning Commission added some minor modifications to the plan.

Ten commissioners in attendance voted in the affirmative with three votes against the proposal. 

“For decades, we simply have not built enough homes to keep up with demand,” Commission Chair Dan Garodnick said during the meeting. “Over the past 60 years, we have piled on more and more complicated and restrictive zoning rules that stymied urgently needed homes from being built. … The modest, commonsense proposals in the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity have been crafted to match the character of different neighborhoods, from low-density areas to the high-rises of Manhattan.”

Adams proposed the City of Yes for housing last year as a way to lift outdated zoning proposals around the city to spur more construction as New York grapples with a housing crisis. The city estimates the changes could allow about 109,000 more homes to be built around the city over the next 15 years if passed, the New York Times reported.

The City of Yes has been best known for its proposal to greenlight office-to-residential conversions, which are not always viable for the owners of distressed Manhattan properties.

It will also eliminate parking mandates for new buildings in high-density zoning districts while allowing two- to five-story residential developments within a half-mile of mass transit stops and town centers.

It could also approve the use of accessory dwelling units (ADU) — such as casitas, garage conversions and basement apartments — in more suburban neighborhoods which has been received with some skepticism from elected officials in representing those parts of the city.

“With no infrastructure upgrade plans — such as aging electric grids, deteriorating roads, overwhelmed sewer systems, and under-resourced schools — and recent storms killing people in basement apartments, the last thing we should be doing is pushing forward a rushed plan that most community boards and countless civic associations oppose,” Queens Councilmember Robert Holden said in a statement. “We need to step back, delay this proposal, and put it up for a vote as either a ballot proposal or an election topic for next year’s municipal elections.”

While the majority on the Planning Commission were in favor of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, they asked the City Council to consider changes such as an exemption to allow parking in some developments as well as safety requirements for ADUs.

The City of Yes plan has faced some pushback from local community boards during its approval process, and some worry that Adams’s potential legacy-making proposal could be derailed as he faces a federal investigation into his 2021 campaign and his administration’s officials.

Still, the proposal will now move to the City Council for approval.

“Our city needs a comprehensive housing plan that will fully address New Yorkers’ needs for affordability and housing security,” City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said in a statement. “As the council thoroughly reviews the administration’s proposed zoning changes, we will prioritize solutions to the full range of housing challenges facing New Yorkers. We encourage the public to continue providing specific feedback throughout this process so we can advance the best plan to truly address the housing crisis and improve our city.”

Mark Hallum can be reached at mhallum@commercialobserver.com.