PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Patricia Loftman, President of Park West Village Tenants Association
3:37:09
·
128 sec
Patricia Loftman, president of the Park West Village Tenants Association, testifies against the proposed "City of Yes" zoning changes. She argues that there isn't a housing crisis, but rather an affordability crisis due to the deregulation of rent-stabilized apartments. Loftman expresses concerns about the potential impacts of the proposed changes on her community.
- Loftman criticizes the proposal for allowing developers to build market-rate and luxury apartments without restrictions, potentially leading to residential segregation.
- She highlights specific concerns about how the changes could affect Park West Village, particularly regarding open space requirements and the potential for infill development.
- Loftman warns that the proposed changes could allow developers to build closer to existing buildings than current zoning permits, potentially impacting quality of life for current residents.
Patricia Loftman
3:37:09
Good afternoon.
3:37:11
My name is Patricia Loftman.
3:37:12
I am president of the Parkwoods Village Tennis Association located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan where I have been a resident for 51 years.
3:37:21
The proposed city of yes is simply a deregulation of the current zoning rules.
3:37:26
The public is told that the proposed goal is to address the current housing crisis.
3:37:31
I maintain that a housing crisis does not exist.
3:37:34
A housing affordability crisis exist.
3:37:37
This is the legacy of the deregulation of over 400,000 rent stabilized apartments lost during the past 20 years.
3:37:45
Were these were those apartments still in existence?
3:37:48
They would neither be a housing crisis or an affordability crisis.
3:37:52
Under the city of yes, developers will be permitted to build market rate and luxury apartments wherever and whenever they want creating residentially segregated communities.
3:38:03
At Parkwoods Village, zoning currently permits permits community facility uses up to 6.54 on our lot, which is much higher than the amount used for residential purposes.
3:38:16
It is nearly impossible to use that floor area because most of our lot is required to be residential open space, which can include both green space and parking.
3:38:27
That open space on our lot is a zoning requirement.
3:38:30
It is not a development site under current zoning.
3:38:33
City ofBS allows infill development to ignore the residential open space requirement.
3:38:39
Instead, developers just need to keep at least 50% of the lot open.
3:38:44
Most developments like ours are around 25% building and around 50 75% open space.
3:38:51
If city of yes gets rid of the residential open space requirement, that requires about that means about 25% of the lot, like, hours can be developed can be developed as the developers sees fit.
3:39:06
City of Yes also charge changes the space needed for legal windows and yards and courts so that developers can put new buildings closer to existing buildings that most current zoning permits.
