PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Yahel Carmon, Homeowner from Ridgewood, Queens
5:32:30
·
110 sec
Yahel Carmon, a homeowner and father from Ridgewood, Queens, speaks in favor of the City of Yes Housing Opportunity proposal. He emphasizes the challenges faced by families trying to stay in New York City due to limited housing options and restrictive zoning regulations.
- Carmon highlights the difficulty for parents of young children to participate in community meetings and hearings due to timing conflicts.
- He discusses the potential benefits of allowing accessory dwelling units (ADUs) for families needing additional space or support.
- Carmon stresses the importance of creating more housing options in every neighborhood to support a thriving community, including affordable housing for essential workers like teachers and therapists.
Yahel Carmon
5:32:30
Thank you, counsel, for the opportunity to speak.
5:32:33
My name is Yael Carmone.
5:32:34
I'm a homeowner in Ridgewood Queens, father of 2 autistic public school children ages 3 and 6.
5:32:41
I'm here because I think it's important for the council to hear from a wide range of voices.
5:32:46
But it is hard for parents of young children to show up for community board meetings that start during bedtime or hearings like this that run during school pickup.
5:32:54
I took a vacation day to be here today.
5:32:56
I'm here because I'm a parent who desperately wants to stay a New Yorker but as it stands, our city zoning regulations may cut harder than it needs to be.
5:33:04
I'm here to speak in favor of the city of yes housing opportunity proposal.
5:33:09
Many parents of young children are fleeing to other states that are growing their housing supply to meet demand.
5:33:14
The city supply of housing has failed to meet their needs.
5:33:17
The number of children under 4 in the city has dropped 15% since 2020.
5:33:22
When my children were born, the zoning ban on accessory dwelling units meant that our newborn childcare options were severely limited.
5:33:28
I didn't have room to have a grandparent or childcare worker move to help it when my wife and I returned to work.
5:33:34
I would happily jump up the opportunity to convert my fully detached garage to an ADU to enable me to expand the livable spaces on my property.
5:33:43
We need to make it easier for families to stay in the city.
5:33:46
City of Yes represents an opportunity to allow families to continue to grow and thrive without being forced to leave the city.
5:33:54
More broadly, I'm fortunate to be a homeowner, but if my son's public school teacher can't afford to pay her rent.
5:33:59
If we cannot find a local speech therapist to to support my son's speech delay because none can afford to live in our neighborhood.
5:34:07
That we are failing to create a livable community.
5:34:10
We need more housing options in every neighborhood to allow every neighborhood to thrive.
5:34:15
I encourage the council to support these zoning changes in their entirety.
5:34:19
Thank you.
