PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Julio Herrera, Executive Assistant at The Black Institute
6:16:40
·
129 sec
Julio Herrera, Executive Assistant at The Black Institute and a South Brooklyn tenant, criticizes the City of Yes proposal, arguing it follows a familiar formula of broad goals without addressing the true affordability crisis. He questions the effectiveness of the proposed affordable housing units and raises concerns about the safety of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), particularly basement apartments.
- Herrera argues the issue is an affordability crisis, not a housing shortage, citing warehoused vacant apartments.
- He questions the true affordability of the proposed units, with only 20% considered affordable for those making 80% of the area median income.
- Herrera expresses concerns about the safety of basement ADUs, referencing deaths and displacements caused by Hurricane Ida flooding.
Julio Herrera
6:16:40
Do you hear me okay?
6:16:42
Oh, good evening, I'm just gonna pretend it's 9:30 off of coffee.
6:16:47
Good morning.
6:16:49
So my name is Julio Herrera.
6:16:50
I'm the executive assistant at the Black Institute.
6:16:53
I'm also a longstanding tenant at a Proud South Brooklynite.
6:16:58
This city of Mes falls into the same formula that longstanding residents like in my area have been all too familiar with.
6:17:04
It's a planned package with ambitious ideas, broad goals that claim to address crucial needs have reflected the city for years.
6:17:13
Reinforced by arbitrary figures that post has availed to convince us that these measures are in our best interest.
6:17:19
As many people stated before, the issue is not a housing crisis and affordability crisis.
6:17:25
There are apartments that have been warehoused vacant for years.
6:17:34
With this with this initiative, I don't feel as reassured considering that the only question I raised about this entire process is, who is this affordable for?
6:17:43
With only 20% of these units considered affordable and only for those making 80% of area area median income.
6:17:51
Furthermore, the number of units pledged for the next 15 years ranged somewhere between 58,000 to 109,000 homes.
6:17:58
And to break that down into simpler terms, that's about 39100 to 73100 homes a year, to 780 to 14 60 units per barrel per year.
6:18:08
Of that number, how many do we expect to be truly affordable?
6:18:12
2nd, the concerns I have for ADU specifically basement units considering this city's tumultuous history with them gives me great pause.
6:18:24
Specifically, when it came with Hurricane Ida, areas I weren't even considered flood zones became sites of disaster, claiming the lives of claiming the lives of eleven people and displacing dozens more.
6:18:34
Some might personally know.
6:18:38
As of this point, I haven't seen any guarantees that any additional ADUs would be reinforced.
6:18:44
And if you'd like to see more, there's some for you to take home with you.
