REMARKS
Council Member Gale Brewer's remarks on City of Yes housing plan
0:33:12
·
95 sec
Council Member Gale Brewer expresses support for the City of Yes housing plan, highlighting its potential to bring diverse housing options to different communities and address preservation concerns. She emphasizes the importance of mixed communities and the need for affordable housing in developed areas.
- Brewer mentions the plan's impact on preservation, including the potential purchase of single room occupancy buildings.
- She stresses the importance of continuing the work of the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
- Brewer proposes a "big idea" for an affordable co-op and rental program on Warr's Island, the last piece of open land in Manhattan.
Gale Brewer
0:33:12
Thank you very much.
0:33:14
This particular, city of yes doesn't impact a huge amount, rarely, really developed areas like the Upper West Side, but what it does is it brings, as you heard earlier, housing to all different communities and makes a difference.
0:33:27
When different people are mixing in communities, it makes our city a much stronger place.
0:33:33
So it's about the people.
0:33:34
When you get a department and it's part of a community and you're different, that is a positive in my world.
0:33:39
Number 2, I'm really concerned about preservation and this city of yes, plus the funding does address preservation.
0:33:47
I can tell you that I've got about 3 large buildings right now, single room occupancies to be purchased.
0:33:53
They need to be part of the discussion.
0:33:56
Number 3 is I feel strongly that these regulation should not stymie the continuation of the work that the Landmarks Preservation Commission does in the future.
0:34:06
We should keep that in mind.
0:34:08
I wanna mention that just the other day, I released the fact that on the Upper West Side, in like a 20 or 30 block area, the bad news is that there were 630 brand new, very expensive units, only 68 of them were affordable, and they were in 2 buildings.
0:34:23
Everybody else was, market, and it could have been different if City of Yes existed.
0:34:28
I wanna congratulate everyone, for the work they've done, the staff, speaker, city planning, and the council.
0:34:35
And I just wanna mention a big idea.
0:34:37
I keep mentioning, Warr's Island is the last piece of open land in Manhattan.
0:34:41
I'd love to see an affordable co op and rental program there of Mitchell Lama.
0:34:46
Thank you very much.
