TESTIMONY
Marcel Negret, Senior Planner at the Regional Plan Association, on Support for the City of Yes for Economic Opportunities Zoning Tax Amendment
3:57:33
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131 sec
Marcel Negret, Senior Planner at the Regional Plan Association, expresses support for the City of Yes for Economic Opportunities zoning text amendment, emphasizing its potential to benefit neighborhoods and small businesses post-pandemic.
- Discusses how post-pandemic trends have shifted economic activities outside traditional central business districts, leading to increased commercial rents and challenges for small businesses to expand due to rising costs and regulatory hurdles.
- Highlights the need for diversification in existing commercial districts and the limitations of current zoning laws in addressing these issues.
- Suggests that while zoning tools are not an immediate solution, they can provide a framework for long-term improvements for neighborhoods and small businesses.
- Raises concerns about Proposal 18 on new manufacturing districts, calling for clearer criteria and rationale for mapping these zones to avoid ambiguity and missed opportunities.
- Expresses eagerness for the administration and City Council's efforts to pass the best version of the City of Yes for Economic Opportunities proposal to unlock the city's economic potential.
Marcel Negret
3:57:33
Good afternoon.
3:57:33
My name is Marcel McGrath.
3:57:35
I'm a senior planner with the Regional Plan Association.
3:57:38
Thank you so much for the opportunity to testify today in support of the city of yes for economic opportunities owning tax amendment.
3:57:45
Post pandemic trends have created shifts that impact where New Yorkers are spending their time and money, increasingly outside of the traditional central business district.
3:57:53
Unfortunately, their success also means that commercial rents outside of Manhattan have risen, and industrial space has become the most expensive market in the country.
3:58:02
Increasing costs and regulatory hurdle hurdles have made it harder for smaller businesses to expand and continue to serve their communities.
3:58:09
Existing commercial districts also need to diversify.
3:58:13
In our analysis of dozens of transit oriented commercial corridors, We found that many established districts are 2 homogenous to become 247 destinations.
3:58:22
The increase in local shopping and dining has also led to demands for better services and programming especially for the public realm.
3:58:28
However, existing zoning makes managing these changes difficult or impossible for many small businesses.
3:58:34
For example, as has been mentioned, arbitrary vacancy regulations make it difficult to fill vacant storefronts, creating an eyesore for many communities.
3:58:43
Zoning tools won't solve these issues overnight, but they can set a framework to help us achieve better outcomes for neighborhoods and small businesses in the long term.
3:58:51
We also believe that the provisions that would establish the new m manufacturing districts under proposal 18 can be improved.
3:58:58
As others have pointed out, the city is required to conduct an industrial development strat strategic plan by the end of 2025.
3:59:04
This analysis should the land use changes and financial incentives is necessary to support industrial sector sector.
3:59:10
Additionally, as currently written, the manufacturing zones are not being mapped.
3:59:14
And the criteria for mapping them are not quite clear.
3:59:17
And this leaves room for a sanctity and potential missed opportunities.
3:59:21
We think there's a room for improvement in clarifying the rationale for mapping the actual proposed districts.
3:59:27
Having said this, we eagerly eagerly anticipate administration in the city's council efforts to pass the best version of CDF ES, economic opportunity proposal.
3:59:35
We think this amendment has a potential to unlock the CD's economic potential.
3:59:39
Benefit benefiting the residences and the businesses of our city.
3:59:43
Thank you so much.