PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Joseph Rosenberg, Director of Catholic Community Relations Council
1:23:02
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126 sec
Joseph Rosenberg, representing the Catholic Community Relations Council, expressed strong support for the City of Yes proposal, highlighting its potential to address housing challenges in New York City. He emphasized the benefits of removing parking mandates, implementing the Universal Affordability Preference (UAP), and allowing broader transfer of development rights for landmark buildings.
- Praised the proposal for removing burdensome off-street parking requirements, which would allow more apartments to be built and reduce housing costs
- Highlighted the UAP's potential to increase affordable housing units by 20% in medium and high-density districts
- Emphasized how changes to landmark building development rights transfers could generate housing while providing funds for maintaining historic churches
Joseph Rosenberg
1:23:02
Good morning.
1:23:03
I'm Joseph Rosenberg, director of the Catholic Community Relations Council representing the Archdiocese of New York and the diocese of Brooklyn And Queens.
1:23:09
We strongly support the city of Yes, which focuses on many current zoning obstacles preventing the development of housing throughout New York City.
1:23:16
Catholic charities of both of the diocese understand our city's housing challenges and focus on the mission of producing affordable housing.
1:23:23
They've developed over 65100 units of affordable housing.
1:23:28
Housing the neediest New Yorkers such as working families low and comelatively and the formerly homeless.
1:23:33
For too long New York City has required off street parking spaces to be incorporated into housing developments.
1:23:39
This burdensome mandate reduces the number of apartments that can be built on-site as well as increasing.
1:23:44
Housing costs, removing this mandate as long overdue and would allow space that was once reserved for cars to now be used to produce apartments.
1:23:52
The UAP would benefit Catholic Charity's housing programs by providing a 20% affordable housing 20% additional affordable housing units in residential buildings located in medium and high density districts.
1:24:04
This increase would produce a significant amount of affordable housing citywide.
1:24:09
The city of Yes, contains initiatives that will be instrumental in generating housing while assisting faith based organizations.
1:24:15
Currently, landmark buildings can only transfer development rights to adjacent properties of those directly across the street.
1:24:21
In many cases, these receiving sites are already built to capacity and there's no way for the landmark development rights to land.
1:24:28
The city of yes changes this by allowing the development rights of landmark buildings to be transferred to properties on all blocks adjacent to where the landmark is located.
1:24:36
Not only does this create the opportunity to generate housing in these communities, but it also provides funds for parishes to maintain and repair their landmark churches.
1:24:45
Many churches of over century old contain stained glass, slate roofs, and ornate stone exteriors, conserving these buildings as extremely costly, and this program combines the welcome elements of spurring housing while creating an income stream for both diocese to help repair and maintain landmark houses of worship.
1:25:04
Thank you.
1:25:05
I've got all the points in the testimony that will assist faith based organizations.
