New York City Council votes to pass City of Yes affordable housing plan

NEW YORK (WABC) — The New York City Council voted 31-20 to move forward with the Adams Administration’s City of Yes affordable housing plan on Thursday.

The approval represents a victory for the majority of the City Council members that voted for the plan. The plan is designed to ease restrictions on basement apartments, along with other issues preventing the large-scale growth of housing.

“Today is another step forward by this Council to advance immediate housing solutions that lower costs to make our city affordable,” said Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.

According to the Adams’ Administration, citywide rezoning will enable the creation of 80,000 new homes over the next 15 years and an investment of $5 billion will be made towards critical infrastructure updates and housing.

“Our only shot at solving New York’s affordability crisis is by building more housing – and that’s why I’m committing $1 billion for projects that will make ‘City of Yes’ a reality,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul. “I signed the most powerful pro-housing legislation in three generations earlier this year, but the work is far from over. That’s why it’s critical for New York City to move forward with zoning reforms that will create more of the homes New Yorkers so desperately need.”

The zoning changes attempt to spur more housing production by updating decades-old rules, including:

• New construction no longer requires off-street parking.

• Homeowners can build apartments on single-family lots.

• Developers can build at least 20% more housing in construction projects as long as it is affordable.

“Today is a historic day in New York City, but, more importantly, for working-class New Yorkers,” said Mayor Eric Adams. “We showed the nation that government can still be bold and brave by passing the most pro-housing piece of legislation in city history. Our administration proposed and fought hard for this proposal for more than year, and now New Yorkers are the ones who will benefit from lower rent.”

But in outer boroughs like Staten Island and Queens, the news for many residents is anything but good. Residents fear that neighborhoods of single-family homes will be mixed in with high-rise apartments.

“A city of no. I think it’s not a good idea. It’s going to destroy the fabric of the community,” said resident Siobhan Moyles.

Mary Aufenanger has lived in her single-family house in Bayside Hills, Queens since 1980.

“Putting bigger buildings and three families in these one-family homes. There’s only a few that are legally two families. Everybody else is only one family,” she said. “It’s just going to change the whole neighborhood.”

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