REMARKS
Commissioner Carrión explains housing emergency and vacancy rates
3:51:22
·
107 sec
HPD Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr. provides a detailed explanation of the housing vacancy survey and the current housing emergency in New York City. He emphasizes the severity of the affordable housing crisis and the need for increased housing supply.
- Carrión explains that the city conducts a housing vacancy survey every 3 years to determine if there's a housing emergency (vacancy rate below 5%)
- He highlights that the city has been in a housing emergency for decades, with the most recent cycle being the most pronounced since 1968
- The commissioner stresses the urgent need for affordable housing, particularly units below $1500 a month
- Carrión addresses the debate about available units, stating that even 50,000 available units would be insufficient to address the crisis
Adolfo Carrión Jr.
3:51:22
And as it relates to the vacant available units, We conduct a housing vacancy survey every 3 years.
3:51:32
And by law, we determine whether or not we're living in a housing emergency, which is a housing vacancy rate.
3:51:41
Lower than 5%.
3:51:43
We have been in a housing emergency for decades now.
3:51:48
The most pronounced since 1968 was this past cycle.
3:51:54
Where families just cannot find affordable housing in the city, especially working families, especially units, lower than $1500 a month.
3:52:02
We're talking about a virtual 0.
3:52:05
So there's been this public back and forth about how many units are actually available.
3:52:11
The industry has a number.
3:52:13
Other folks have put numbers out today.
3:52:17
Even if we had 50,000 units available right now, it would still be a drop in the bucket in terms of what we need to do as a city.
3:52:26
We are living in a state of emergency.
3:52:28
Many of those vacant units are not available.
3:52:31
They're either in the middle of closing on a lease, under repair, or whatever other state of whatever other state they're in.
3:52:43
The key here is that we have a historic opportunity to create a regime, an envelope that allows us to grow the housing supply, bring the price point down And I'll finish with this.
3:52:58
The your district is a great opportunity to continue building affordable housing.
3:53:03
We have sites there.
3:53:04
We're looking for more sites, and we welcome the opportunity to continue partnering with your district.
