PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Luke Lavanway on Housing Development in New York City
3:56:21
ยท
114 sec
Luke Lavanway, an 11-year resident of New York City, addresses the issue of new housing being blocked in most neighborhoods, focusing on the need for more equitable housing development across the city. He highlights the concentration of new housing in a few areas and argues for expanding development to other suitable neighborhoods like Windsor Terrace.
- Presents data showing that only a handful of neighborhoods account for the majority of new housing units since 2010
- Emphasizes that many neighborhoods with good resources (public transportation, school capacity) are suitable for more housing
- Argues that blocking housing development in most neighborhoods is a key cause of the ongoing housing crisis, leading to rent burden and displacement
Luke Lavanway
3:56:21
Good afternoon.
3:56:22
My name is Luke Levanway.
3:56:23
I am an 11 year resident of New York City, and I've lived in Brooklyn for 4 years.
3:56:28
Currently, I live in Fort Greene.
3:56:30
I'd like to raise our attention to one specific issue today.
3:56:33
That issue is new housing being blocked in all but a small handful of neighborhoods.
3:56:38
According to data published by the Department of City Planning, just a handful of neighborhoods, including Downtown Brooklyn, Sunnyside, Long Island City, Chelsea, and the South Bronx, account for a majority of new building units added to the city since 2010.
3:56:53
There are many other neighborhoods which are a good fit for more housing if we look at their existing resources such as public transportation and school capacity.
3:57:02
Windsor Terrace is one such neighborhood, yet Windsor Terrace has added very little to its housing supply.
3:57:08
According to the city planning dataset I mentioned previously, the community district, which includes Windsor Terrace, ranks 43rd of the city's 59 community districts in terms of new building units added since 2010.
3:57:21
Now to some, it might not seem like a huge problem to say, we don't wanna build in Windsor Terrace for such and such reasons.
3:57:28
But the same excuses about why we shouldn't build have played out in a majority of neighborhoods across the city.
3:57:34
This is a key cause of the housing crisis, which is subjecting more than half of renters to rent burden and has already displaced far too many New Yorkers, including on a personal note, dear friends of mine.
3:57:45
Concerns about neighborhood context are understandable.
3:57:48
However, it is more than fair for the many rent birded New Yorkers to ask for such concerns to be set aside so that every neighborhood can do its part to add to the housing supply.
3:57:57
So I urge the city planning commission, the residents of Windsor Terrace, the neighborhoods elected elected representatives, to end the cycle of blocking new housing from being built.
3:58:08
New Yorkers are struggling, and we really don't have time to waste in adding to our housing supply.
3:58:14
Thank you very much.