REMARKS
Carlina Rivera explains her vote in favor of City of Yes for Housing Opportunity
0:05:53
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107 sec
Council Member Carlina Rivera explains her vote in favor of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal, citing the urgent need to address New York City's housing crisis and shortage. She emphasizes the plan's potential to significantly increase housing production and its importance for the city's future.
- Rivera highlights the city's low vacancy rate (less than 1.5%) and high rents as key factors in her decision.
- She compares the plan's housing production potential to that of 10 Gowanus rezonings and notes it will produce more housing than all rezonings under the last two mayoral administrations.
- Rivera acknowledges the difficulty of making tough decisions but stresses the importance of taking a long-term view for the city's needs.
Carlina Rivera
0:05:53
Permission to explain my vote?
Rafael Salamanca, Jr.
0:05:55
Council member Rivera, to explain my vote.
Carlina Rivera
0:05:57
Thank you, chair Salamanca, for your leadership.
0:05:59
I wanna thank the speaker for, being a housing champion, for seeing that all of our neighborhoods are distinct and all deserving of a plan and opportunity, no matter how modest, to address our housing shortage while also securing unprecedented financial commitments.
0:06:15
I wanna thank city planning, the Mayor's Office, HPD, and a special thank you to the city council team for their hard work on the City of YES for housing opportunity proposal.
0:06:27
I'm voting in favor of the City of Yes proposal today because we cannot forego this moment.
0:06:33
In negotiating, and in my hopes of ultimately getting to yes, we have and must continue to consider our vacancy rate is less than 1 a half percent, Rents are at astronomical levels.
0:06:45
Working class New Yorkers are telling us they are leaving because of high housing costs.
0:06:50
And we are on track to lose additional seats in Congress after the next Census because of out migration.
0:06:57
We are addressing this now with the city of yes.
0:07:00
I know more than most how much, guff some will give you when you make a tough decision.
0:07:05
But, I believe we have to take a much longer view of what our districts and city need to survive and thrive now and for constituents in the future.
0:07:14
With this plan, we are addressing the fact that the city is woefully behind in housing production.
0:07:19
With this plan, we will produce more housing than all rezonings under the last two mayoral administrations.
0:07:25
This plant's production is comparable to 10 Gowanus rezonings.
0:07:30
So, yes, we have been through the motions, and yes, it's about time.
0:07:34
This is the largest unit creation in recent history.
0:07:38
And with that, I vote aye on all.
