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Council Member Crystal Hudson advocates for City of Yes zoning amendment
0:53:11
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100 sec
Council Member Crystal Hudson speaks in favor of the City of Yes zoning for housing opportunity amendment, emphasizing the need for all communities to contribute to addressing the housing crisis. She argues that the amendment provides necessary options for building more affordable housing and creating opportunities for aging in place.
- Hudson highlights the $5 billion secured for affordable housing, infrastructure, and tenant protections
- She addresses concerns about the amendment, clarifying that it offers options rather than mandates
- The council member emphasizes the importance of maximizing housing opportunities to prevent displacement of long-time residents
Crystal Hudson
0:53:11
Thank you, majority leader, and good afternoon all.
0:53:14
Today's vote on the city of yes zoning for housing opportunity is certainly a controversial one, but the reality is that some communities are doing their part to address the housing crisis and others are not, and that's the real controversy.
0:53:26
While every neighborhood and district is different, we can't keep relying on the South Bronx, Western Queens, or Northern and Central Brooklyn alone to build us out of this crisis.
0:53:34
We need everyone to do their part.
0:53:36
This first of its kind citywide text amendment does the bare minimum in creating more opportunities to build housing, including the deeply affordable housing this body so passionately cares about.
0:53:46
It gives communities and developers alike new options to consider when planning a new project.
0:53:51
And let me be clear, these options are just that, options.
0:53:55
Nothing considered in this zoning text amendment requires developers or homeowners to build anything.
0:54:00
But with City of Yes, we create an option for more affordable housing units via universal affordability preference or UAP, an option to remove unnecessary and costly parking mandates that could create a financially feasible pathway to increase affordability beyond MIH, and an option to build ADUs that can provide older family members the opportunity to age in place.
0:54:20
In my experience, the people who've complained most about housing proposals are those who have housing.
0:54:27
If we don't maximize our opportunities to build, rents will only continue to rise and push out long time community residents, especially older black and brown New Yorkers who live on fixed incomes.
0:54:37
I'd like to commend the speaker, her staff, and especially the planning and land use division for securing $5,000,000,000 for more deeply affordable housing and homeownership opportunities, infrastructure investments, and tenant protections.
0:54:50
Thank you.