REMARKS
Kevin Riley outlines the challenges and goals addressed in updating NYC's zoning regulations
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6 min
Council Member Kevin C. Riley outlines the process and challenges of updating New York City's outdated zoning regulations to reflect changes in the city's economic, technological, and societal landscape since 1961.
- The zoning resolution, governing business locations and uses throughout NYC, has not been updated in over 60 years.
- Riley discusses the city's evolution, including shifts in work patterns, technological advancements, and the need for neighborhood self-sufficiency.
- The initiative to update zoning regulations aims to accommodate changes while considering community engagement, quality of life, and neighborhood character.
- Concerns include the need for regulation of last-mile distribution warehouses and ensuring effective enforcement of new regulations.
- The Department of City Planning has engaged in extensive public outreach, though challenges remain in addressing community concerns and the initiative's complexity.
Kevin C. Riley
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I will now open the public hearing on the pre considered LU relating to the zoning for economic opportunity tax amendment.
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When I was first informed about this initiative, I was surprised to find out the regulations that govern where business can locate had not been updated in a regular way since 1961.
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This means that aspects of the zoning resolution which regulates uses and buildings throughout the city are over sixty years old.
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Some of my questions, which I will get into later, will seek to address just how did the city fall so far behind?
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In the past 60 years, the city and my district have changed a lot.
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What people do for work and where they work have changed.
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In the 19 sixties, we barely had computers and Internet did not exist.
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Heavy manufacturing was still a part of me major part of the city's economic backbone.
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And most people who worked offices commute to the Midtown And Downtown Manhattan to work.
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60 years later, the city has multiple business districts in the Bronx.
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Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn.
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More and more of my constituents also want to live and work in the same neighborhood.
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Which means where people work has fundamental changes.
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The pandemic has also made it clear that neighborhoods need to be self sufficient and have access to medical offices, food, and shops.
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Regulations from the 19 sixties are clearly out of date.
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That said, this is a dense, complicated initiative that the administration has undertaken.
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It involves updating over 1000 pages of the zoning resolution.
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In response to such a big undertaking, we have heard a lot of concerns from our community boards and residents.
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I want to recognize these concerns and I understand them.
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There has also been a lot of confusion over what regulations this proposal actually does or does not change.
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And how these changes will affect our communities.
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This is a complex proposal, and it is critical that we get it right because it will impact our neighborhoods.
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Today is not the first opportunity that communities have to voice their concerns and provide input.
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I want to recognize the public engagement and the Department of City Plan that has undertaken with this initiative.
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DCP has attended 100 of meetings across the 5 boroughs to explain this proposal and hear from communities.
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However, the scale and complexity of this proposal has created difficulties for effective community engagement.
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Over 1000 pages of zone and text changes is overwhelming.
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For our communities leading to confusion in the face of complexity of this proposal.
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I strongly encourage DCP to continue engaging with us in our communities.
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Today's camera is an important part of this public engagement process.
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The administration has put forward a proposal, and now the council has the opportunity to amend it.
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Tell us your concerns, and we would do our best to address them.
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The more detail you provide about concerns with the many different components of this proposal, the better the council will be able to address those concerns through changes to the proposal.
0:07:18
We know many communities are worried about how this initiative may impact their quality of life, I agree.
0:07:25
This initiative needs to strike a proper balance between accommodating businesses, the demand for live work, neighborhoods, and existing character of our neighborhoods, including both residential and commercial areas.
0:07:39
This brings me the 2 final points that I wanna make.
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First, this initiative is missing a proposal that is disproportionately impacting certain of our communities and raises real environmental justice issue The missing piece is addressing large last mile distribution warehouses.
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The city needs to rethink comprehensively how packages are being delivered to our homes and concentration of of large packaging warehouses in certain neighborhoods such as Redhook And Council member of Villas District and Hunt's point in chair Soleimanca's district.
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Chair Soleimanca and others will will speak more about this issue and I wanna recognize the absolute need for the administration to address how last mile warehouses are regulated.
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This problem cannot go on address any longer.
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2nd, it is also not enough to simply change the zoning resolution.
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Enforcement of the proposed new regulations, and another critical piece that is missing from this initiative.
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The Department of Building does not have the needed staff or resources to address violations of the zoning resolution.
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The administration needs to pledge to increase DOB's resources so that the quality of life concerns that our communities are rightfully raised and are effectively addressed.
0:09:02
I sincerely hope that we can work with the administration to address these two sets of issues last mile warehouses and enforcement in the same way that we did with the manufacturing initiative that is part of this proposal.
0:09:16
As part of the zoning for economic opportunity, the administration is finally proposing to update how we regulate manufacturing zones going forward.
0:09:27
This update to the zoning resolutions manufacturing districts has been long time in the making and much needed, and we appreciate the administration responsiveness to counsel request to counsel member's request.
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Is my hope we can similarly work with the administration on last mile warehouses and enforcement.
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Before we begin the presentation, by the Department of City Planning.
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I would like to remind people wishing to testify remotely that if you have not already done so, you must register online.
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And you may do that now by visiting the council's website at council.nyc.gov/land use.
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For anyone with us in person, please see one of the sergeants to prepare and submit a speaker's car.
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If you would like to prepare prefer to excuse me.
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If you would prefer to submit written testimony, you can always do so by emailing it to us at land use testimony, atcouncil.nyc.gov.
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I just want to highlight we've been joined by council member of Braiyu and council member of nurse, and also council member salon.
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Council, please call the first panel.