PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Talya Schwartz, Strategist at Open Plans
5:38:41
·
122 sec
Talya Schwartz, a strategist at Open Plans, spoke in support of the City of Yes proposal, specifically advocating for the removal of parking mandates. She argued that these mandates contribute to rising housing costs and increased car ownership in New York City.
- Schwartz highlighted that parking mandates force developers to build unnecessary parking spots, even in areas well-served by public transit, significantly increasing housing costs.
- She emphasized that 50% of New Yorkers don't own cars, and suggested that current regulations prioritize parking over affordable housing.
- Schwartz linked increased congestion in New York to more people driving, despite stable population numbers, implying that building more parking encourages car use.
Talya Schwartz
5:38:41
Good afternoon.
5:38:42
My name is Talia Schwartz, and I'm a strategist at Openplans, and I'm speaking in support of City of Yes.
5:38:48
Specifically, I'm here to support lifting parking mandates.
5:38:52
Which have been contributing to the rising costs of housing development and increasing car ownership all over the country and here in New York City.
5:39:00
Parking mandates contribute to the high cost of living by requiring developers to build many, many parking spots even when residents don't need it or want it.
5:39:09
One building in NoStradd Avenue in Brooklyn is being forced to build a 193 parking spots, even though it's one block from a subway station, and many people who live in the building will have no use for a car.
5:39:21
Because of parking mandates, the city is forcing developers, homeowners, and renters to pay for those parking spots, and the cost is high, very high.
5:39:30
It currently costs a $150,000 per parking spot.
5:39:34
This adds an estimated 17% increase in rental costs.
5:39:39
This data comes from an open plans report about parking mandates.
5:39:42
I encourage people to read it.
5:39:45
Cities are full of lots of different neighborhoods with different characteristics.
5:39:48
Densely packed neighborhoods near transit do not need the same amount of parking as residential city neighborhoods.
5:39:54
We ask the opacity of yes and allow people who want parking to seek housing with parking instead of forcing it on everyone.
5:40:02
In New York City, 50% of people don't own a car.
5:40:05
And if you can believe it, some people don't want to own a car.
5:40:09
Some people would rather have affordable housing.
5:40:11
The current regulations are uniformly prioritizing parking over housing.
5:40:17
Land is a precious resource in New York City.
5:40:19
And with parking mandates, we are currently choosing to build 2 parking spots instead of a studio apartment.
5:40:26
Further, each new parking spot built is another car driving on our crowded streets.
5:40:31
People here today have complained about increased congestion and slow buses, yet the population of New York City has not increased.
5:40:38
So what explains it?
5:40:40
Simply put, people are driving more than before.
