PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Matthew Denys, Homeowner from Flatbush, Brooklyn on City of Yes for Housing Opportunity
7:59:10
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127 sec
Matthew Denys, a homeowner from Flatbush, Brooklyn, testified in support of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal. He emphasized the widespread public support for the initiative and discussed how it would affect his neighborhood, particularly the transit-oriented development aspect.
- Denys highlighted the current mix of housing in Flatbush and how new zoning would allow for more modest, contextual apartment buildings.
- He argued that as a homeowner, there's a responsibility to welcome new neighbors and allow new housing to be built.
- Denys encouraged the council to pass the proposal in its full form, stating that all parts of City of Yes work together to make new homes possible.
Matthew Denys
7:59:10
Hi.
7:59:10
I'm Matt Dennings, and I am lucky to be a homeowner in Flatbush, Brooklyn.
7:59:14
I'll shout out to my captain, my breeder, Chris.
7:59:17
And I'm also lucky to have the flexibility to take off work today so I could be here.
7:59:22
And so I'd like to start by reminding all you that we aren't hearing from many of those who are most affected by our housing shortage and affordability crisis.
7:59:30
Because even with all of this support that you've seen here today, this hearing out there represents the 81% of New York City voters who support this proposal, including the 70 sub 77% support in Central Brooklyn.
7:59:43
To touch on something that is what a part of this proposal that will affect my neighborhood in Flatbush, we currently have a mix of single and 2 family homes that are mostly three stories tall and apartment buildings that are usually six stories tall and all most of them have been there for going on a 100 years, and we have excellent transit access.
8:00:03
So the transit oriented development portion of This would apply to a lot of the neighborhood.
8:00:10
So, like, today, all of those existing apartments, all the vast majority of them would be illegal to build.
8:00:15
And as a homeowner, I think we have a responsibility to welcome new neighbors and to allow new housing to be built.
8:00:21
And when new buildings have gone up on the edges of the neighborhood, including just down the block from where I was, it's a little less restricted lease on there, so we actually have a new building.
8:00:31
It's actually been a really nice change.
8:00:32
So I don't think it's really an imposition to add new housing to an neighborhood.
8:00:37
And so given the current crisis, it seems like the least we could do is to allow that these modest contextual apartment buildings that we already have, we to allow a few more of them to be built again.
8:00:46
And the current proposal, the transitory to development doesn't quite get us there because it would only really allow 3 ish story buildings and on specific types of lots and various other restrictions, but it would still be a good step in the right direction as much of a compromise as it is.
8:01:02
And Beyond that we also need the all the other parts of city of yes as well, because they all work together to make new homes possible.
8:01:12
So I strongly encourage the council to pass this proposal on its full form because New York should never be a city of less.
