PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Daniel Cohen from the Upper West Side on City of Yes for Housing Opportunity
4:30:08
·
78 sec
Daniel Cohen, a resident of the Upper West Side in Manhattan, strongly supports the City of Yes proposal as a means to address the housing shortage and make housing more affordable. He emphasizes two aspects of the proposal: removing parking mandates and legalizing SROs (Single Room Occupancy units).
- Cohen argues that removing parking mandates is both environmentally friendly and economically progressive, as it would lower housing costs for those who don't own cars.
- He shares his personal experience of living in an SRO when he was younger, highlighting how legalizing SROs could provide naturally affordable housing options for those who can't afford full apartments.
Daniel Cohen
4:30:08
Hi.
4:30:08
My name is Daniel Cohen, and I live on the Upper West Side Manhattan.
4:30:12
My rent has gone up by 20% in the last 3 years because we don't build enough housing.
4:30:15
So I strongly support city of yes, because it would make housing more affordable by helping to alleviate our city or housing shortage.
4:30:22
There are 2 parts of the proposal that I especially like.
4:30:24
The first is refueling parking mandates.
4:30:26
Not only is this environmentally friendly, but it's also economically progressive.
4:30:30
Parking spots don't get billed for free, so when we force developers to build parking, they pass the costs on in the form of higher rents.
4:30:37
People who own cars would be paying for the parking anyway, but people who don't own cars have to pay extra rent for something they don't need.
4:30:43
And since people who don't own cars tend to be less wealthy than people do, the economic effect is that the less wealthy are subsidizing the more wealthy.
4:30:51
So we're peeling parking mandates is very economically progressive.
4:30:55
The other part of City of Yes that I wanna highlight is legalizing SROs.
4:31:00
And this part speaks to me because I myself lived in an SRA when I was SRO, when I was younger and couldn't afford a full apartment to myself because the s o s SRO was naturally more affordable.
4:31:12
Legalizing SROs is a great way to add more housing that's naturally affordable to people who aren't wealthy enough to to afford a full apartment to themselves.
4:31:21
Thank you, and I sincerely hope that City of Gas passes in its full form without getting watered down.
