PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Rashida Tyler, Deputy Executive Director of New York State Council of Churches on City of Yes for Housing Opportunity
4:20:50
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121 sec
Rashida Tyler, representing the New York State Council of Churches and the Interfaith Affordable Housing Collaborative, expressed general support for the City of Yes proposal while highlighting its shortcomings in addressing the affordable housing crisis. She emphasized the challenges faith leaders face in developing affordable housing on their properties due to current zoning restrictions.
- Tyler argued that the Universal Affordability Preference falls short of what's necessary to address the affordable housing and homelessness crisis in New York City.
- She called for a mandate for deeper affordability, suggesting that 20% of floor area for affordable housing is insufficient.
- Tyler emphasized that faith leaders are actively trying to combat gentrification and keep community members in their neighborhoods, but face financial barriers in the rezoning process.
Rashida Tyler
4:20:50
Thank you.
4:20:51
My name is Rashida Tyler.
4:20:52
I'm the deputy executive director of the New York State Council of Churches and the project manager are the interfaith affordable housing collaborative.
4:20:58
We work with many faith leaders across the city who would like to develop affordable housing, senior housing, and supportive housing on their properties.
4:21:06
However, due to current zoning, they are unable to develop units, the number of units that would be feasible to a developer.
4:21:13
For example, one congregation in Brooklyn would love to redevelop its property to include affordable housing, but if they to include affordable housing, but if they were to rebuild, they would lose about 18,000 square feet.
4:21:28
And that would mean dipping below the number of units that would actually make their project viable.
4:21:33
Bait leaders are actively trying to combat the outflow of community members who are being pushed out their neighborhoods for gentrification.
4:21:40
However, and they're even turning down market rate and luxury development to do so.
4:21:44
However, although while they have the desire to develop, we need to not have the financial ability to go through a costly and lengthy rezoning waiver process or variance processes.
4:21:54
The city of Yale would enable them to build a little more, which is the difference between development being viable or not, keeping families in the neighborhood or not.
4:22:01
For these reasons, we are generally supportive of the city of yes.
4:22:04
Although we support the city of yes, we do agree with what we've heard from faith leaders across the city advocates and community members.
4:22:10
Which is at the universal affordability preference falls short of what is necessary to truly address affordable housing and homelessness crisis in New York City.
4:22:18
And, yes, it is an affordable housing crisis.
4:22:21
We only need to de aggregate data from housing, from the housing crisis.
4:22:24
To see that those in luxury housing market are not having trouble or struggling finding homes.
4:22:29
We need to make sure that the affordable housing if affordable housing is a goal of the city of yes, then the policy needs to reflect this and create create a mandate and deeper affordability than than having just 20% of floor area allotted to to affordable housing.
4:22:49
I don't know where my time is at.
4:22:51
So
