PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by DJ Falkson, Member of Open New York, on City of Yes for Housing Opportunity
4:46:24
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122 sec
DJ Falkson, a member of Open New York and resident of the Upper East Side, testifies in support of the City of Yes proposal. He emphasizes the need for more family-sized apartments in New York City and shares a personal story about his mother's experience living in a family-friendly development in Queens in the 1950s and 60s.
- Falkson argues that current zoning laws prevent the creation of similar family-friendly developments today.
- He pushes back against the idea that dense housing destroys communities, stating that vibrant communities thrive with a mix of people.
- Falkson urges the council to approve City of Yes with minimal modifications to maximize affordable housing creation.
DJ Falkson
4:46:24
Hi.
4:46:25
My name is DJ Faulksen, and I've lived on the upper east side for over 5 years.
4:46:29
And I urged the council to support city of yes.
4:46:32
I'm a member of Open New York and a concerned citizen who loves the city, loves its dynamism, and I'm worried about the lack of opportunities for young people and families to find affordable places to live.
4:46:42
I have a five day old infant.
4:46:44
And I wanna thank my very generous wife for letting me take the time to testify today.
4:46:48
We wanna be able to stay in the city.
4:46:50
We may wanna have more children, but the reality is that there are not nearly enough family sized departments being built.
4:46:55
I personally had friends leave the city as their families have grown and it's heartbreaking.
4:47:00
I wanna share a personal story to illustrate why I feel this so deeply.
4:47:03
My mother grew up in current Council District 19, Councilwoman Paladino's district in a development called Kreider's Point in Beechhurst.
4:47:11
She lived there in the 19 fifties sixties, and it was a wonderful place to raise a family.
4:47:15
It had spacious apartments, waterfront views, and amenities that supported the kind of strong community New York City was known for.
4:47:23
Kreider's point was the kind of development where families could grow and thrive together.
4:47:27
It was a community hub, and people wanted stay long term because it had what families needed.
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Space, connection, and a sense of belonging.
4:47:34
But here's the issue.
4:47:35
That kind of development and indeed development that's far less dense even is no longer possible under today's zoning laws.
4:47:42
The district is in zone to allow new developments like Ryder's point anymore, and that's a shame.
4:47:46
We're seeing fewer opportunities to create the types of family friendly homes throughout the city that my mom's generation benefited from.
4:47:53
I want to push back on the idea that dense housing destroys communities.
4:47:57
In fact, vibrant communities thrive when there's a mix of people, different generations, families, newcomers.
4:48:03
We need reforms like the city of YES to bring back the possibility of building those communities for future generations like my own new family.
4:48:11
I'm excited about city of yes and urge its approval with as few qualifications or modifications as possible.
4:48:17
Each of these modifications will chip away at the amount of affordable housing that can be built city wide, so I urge the members of the council to support city of yes.
4:48:25
Thank you.
