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Chair Dan Garodnick outlines NYC's housing crisis and City of Yes initiative

0:16:14

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4 min

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Dan Garodnick, Chair of the City Planning Commission, discusses the severe housing shortage in New York City and introduces the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity initiative as a solution. He emphasizes the need for more housing across all neighborhoods to address affordability issues and improve living conditions for New Yorkers.

The city's rental housing vacancy rate is at 1.41%, the lowest since the 1960s
Over half of NYC renters are rent-burdened, paying more than 30% of their income on rent
City of Yes proposes allowing 20% larger apartment buildings for affordable housing in medium and high-density areas
The initiative would legalize accessory dwelling units in lower-density areas and allow 3-5 story apartments near transit
The proposal includes lifting parking mandates on new housing citywide

New York City is facing a severe housing crisis with low vacancy rates and high rent burdens
The housing shortage is a result of complicated and restrictive zoning rules over the past 60 years
City of Yes for Housing Opportunity aims to build more housing in every neighborhood
The initiative proposes various strategies, including universal affordability preference, legalizing accessory dwelling units, and allowing modest apartment buildings near transit
The proposal includes making it easier to convert non-residential buildings to housing and lifting parking mandates on new housing
These strategies are intended to reduce housing costs and address the city's housing crisis
The City Planning Commission is seeking input from Community Boards, borough boards, and borough presidents

[EXPERIMENTAL]

Which elements of City of Yes for Housing Opportunity were discussed in this testimony?

I was not able to tie quotes from the testimony back to specific elements of the proposal. Check out another testimony here.

About this analysis:

This analysis is done by AI that reasons whether or not a quote from the testimony discusses a particular element of the proposal.

All the prompts and data are open and available on Github.

You can search for testimonies that mentioned a specific element in the table on the main meeting page.

When an element is explicitly stated in the testimony (e.g. "Universal Affordability Preference" or "UAP"), the analysis is accurate.

But the connection between a quote from the testimony and an element of the proposal is sometimes implicit.

In these cases, the AI might eagerly label a testimony as discussing a proposal when the connection is tenuous, or it might omit it entirely.

↗ Why are there transcription and diarization errors?

Dan Garodnick

0:16:14

Great.

0:16:14

Thank you very much.

0:16:15

And before we hear very briefly from the Department of City Planning, I just want to note that we have been having a lot of very positive important conversations with New Yorkers about this proposal because it is no secret that the city is facing a grave housing crisis.

0:16:35

Over half of our renters are rent burden paying more than 30% of their income in rent.

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Each new housing lottery that opens receives tens of thousands of applications.

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And when the New York City Housing Authority recently opened the wait list, or housing choice vouchers more than half a million people applied.

0:16:57

This all stems from the fact that we simply do not have enough housing.

0:17:01

Our rental housing vacancy rate is 1.41 percent, the lowest level since the 1960s.

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When there are less homes available, tenants lose leverage, rents go up and we see rising rates of gentrification, displacement and homelessness.

0:17:18

Families find it harder and harder to stay in the city.

0:17:21

Working New Yorkers face punishingly long commutes.

0:17:25

Aging New Yorkers can't downsize or remain close to their families.

0:17:29

This housing shortage and its human consequences are a policy choice.

0:17:34

Over the last 60 years, we have created more and more complicated and restrictive zoning rules that prevented urgently needed housing from being built.

0:17:44

Even though New York City's population has grown over the past 4 decades, we've built fewer homes than in the previous 40 years when our population was shrinking.

0:17:55

In the last decade, we added 800,000 new jobs and just 200,000 new homes.

0:18:01

And the homes that we are creating are concentrated in only a few areas, putting all the pressure on the backs of those communities.

0:18:08

For example, Last year, 10 community districts created as much housing as the other 49 combined.

0:18:18

Ken created as much housing as the other 49 combined and some community districts even lost housing, but it does not have to be this way.

0:18:27

Tities across the United States are showing that when you build more homes, costs can go down and tenants have more housing options.

0:18:36

To rent, to buy, to stay in their own communities or move closer to family or jobs.

0:18:43

That is what city of Jasper housing opportunity will help us to achieve.

0:18:46

The initiative is built on a simple premise, build a little more housing in every neighborhood.

0:18:51

Because when every neighborhood contributes, we can make a big impact citywide.

0:18:55

Proposals in City of Yes, for housing opportunity have been crafted to match the character of different neighborhoods from low density areas to the high rises of Lower Manhattan.

0:19:04

For example, in medium and high density areas, it would create a universal affordability preference allowing apartment buildings to be at least 20% larger if the additional space is dedicated to affordable housing.

0:19:17

In lower density areas, it would legalize small accessory dwelling units giving homeowners extra income and allowing them to stay close to family.

0:19:26

Modest 3, 4 or 5 storey apartment buildings would also be allowed on select sites near transit and the long commercial corridors.

0:19:36

Across the City, City of Yes, would make it easier for offices and other residential nonresidential buildings to convert to housing.

0:19:44

But also make it easier for organizations with campuses like churches to convert under use space into housing.

0:19:51

And last but certainly not least, City of Yes would lift costly parking mandates on all new housing across the city.

0:19:58

These are proven strategies to reducing housing costs that will allow us to finally tackle our city's mounting housing crisis.

0:20:07

With City of Yes, for housing opportunity, we have an opportunity create a more affordable future in which New Yorkers have the housing opportunity and choice that they deserve.

0:20:17

And before we get to a short presentation from the Department of City Planning And Public Testimony, I'd like to thank the Community Boards burrow boards and burrow presidents across the city for taking the time to review this proposal and to offer their thoughtful input.

0:20:34

For those who have yet to submit their formal recommendation, the commission will continue to accept and seriously review all testimony and feedback it receives up to the date of its vote, which is anticipated in the early fall.

0:20:48

So we've got a very full day ahead of us.

0:20:50

We expect lots of testimony, so let's get to it.

0:20:52

And I will now turn to you, Veronica, to make a brief presentation.