Emily Klein from Community Preservation Corporation on City of Yes for Housing Opportunity zoning reform proposal
6:27:27
·
3 min
Emily Klein, Senior Policy Associate at the Community Preservation Corporation (CPC), testifies in support of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity zoning reform proposal. She emphasizes the critical need for addressing New York City's housing crisis through comprehensive zoning modernization to enable more housing construction across all neighborhoods.
- Klein highlights specific elements of the proposal, including Town Center zoning, transit-oriented development, accessory dwelling units, and the Universal Affordability Preference (UAP)
- She argues that the proposal's carefully crafted interventions match existing neighborhood character while targeting outdated zoning elements
- CPC urges the commission to approve the proposal as written, viewing it as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to address the housing shortage and build a more inclusive city
- New York is experiencing a housing crisis with low vacancy rates and high rent burdens
- Outdated zoning regulations and exclusionary practices have led to insufficient housing development
- City of Yes for Housing Opportunity provides a citywide roadmap to build more housing in every neighborhood
- The proposal updates zoning codes to meet current housing needs and promote equitable neighborhoods
- Specific proposals include reintroducing Town Center zoning, allowing apartment buildings near transit, permitting accessory dwelling units
- Introduction of Universal Affordability Preference to increase affordable housing
- Removal of parking mandates, allowing conversion of non-residential buildings to housing, and permitting smaller shared housing
- The proposals are designed to match existing neighborhood character while addressing outdated regulations
- Urges the commission to approve City of Yes for Housing Opportunity as currently written
[EXPERIMENTAL]
Which elements of City of Yes for Housing Opportunity were discussed in this testimony?
- UAP
- Residential Conversions
- Town Center Zoning
- Parking Mandates
- ADU
- Transit-Oriented Development
- Campuses
- Small and Shared Housing
The following are AI-extracted quotes and reasoning about which elements of the proposal were discussed in this testimony.
This is a quick, close approximation. Occasionally, the connection between a testimony's transcript and specific elements of City Planning's proposal is tenuous.
Read about this AI-generated analysis here.
UAP
"In medium and high density neighborhood, City of Yes would introduce universal affordability preference, which will allow buildings to add at least 20% more housing if those additional homes are permanently affordable at 60% of area median income."
This quote directly discusses the Universal Affordability Preference (UAP) element of the proposal, mentioning its key features such as allowing 20% more housing and the affordability requirement at 60% AMI.
"We strongly support UAP and its affordability levels, which would specifically serve lower income New Yorkers."
This quote explicitly mentions support for the UAP and its affordability levels, indicating discussion of this element of the proposal.
Residential Conversions
"Finally, City of Yes includes city wide proposals to remove costly parking mandates, allow for the conversions of non residential buildings to housing, and allow for smaller shared housing and campus infill development."
This quote directly mentions the proposal to allow conversions of non-residential buildings to housing, which is a key aspect of the Residential Conversions element of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal.
Town Center Zoning
"For low density neighborhoods, CVS would reintroduce Towne Centre zoning to allow Ground Floor Commercial with 2 to 4 stories of housing above."
This quote directly discusses the Town Center Zoning element of the proposal, mentioning the reintroduction of this zoning type and its key features such as ground floor commercial use with housing above.
Parking Mandates
"Finally, City of Yes includes city wide proposals to remove costly parking mandates, allow for the conversions of non residential buildings to housing, and allow for smaller shared housing and campus infill development."
This quote directly mentions the proposal to remove costly parking mandates, which is the core of the Removing Parking Mandates element of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal.
ADU
"It would allow 3 to 5 story apartment buildings with a half mile of subway and rail stations would permit accessory dwelling units give homeowners the flexibility to adopt their homes to meet their families needs."
This quote directly mentions permitting accessory dwelling units, which is the core of the Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) element of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal.
Transit-Oriented Development
"It would allow 3 to 5 story apartment buildings with a half mile of subway and rail stations"
This quote discusses allowing apartment buildings within a half-mile of public transit, which is a key aspect of the Transit-Oriented Development element of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal.
Campuses
"Finally, City of Yes includes city wide proposals to remove costly parking mandates, allow for the conversions of non residential buildings to housing, and allow for smaller shared housing and campus infill development."
This quote mentions campus infill development, which is directly related to the Campuses element of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal.
Small and Shared Housing
"Finally, City of Yes includes city wide proposals to remove costly parking mandates, allow for the conversions of non residential buildings to housing, and allow for smaller shared housing and campus infill development."
This quote directly mentions allowing for smaller shared housing, which is the core of the Small and Shared Housing element of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal.
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.
Follow-up discussion/remarks
Commissioner Osorio questions the effectiveness of Universal Affordability Preference
6:30:32
·
81 sec
Commissioner Juan Camilo Osorio asks Emily Klein of the Community Preservation Corporation about the effectiveness of the Universal Affordability Preference (UAP) as the main affordability component in the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal. Klein responds that while UAP alone would not be sufficient, it provides a valuable component when combined with other incentives and funding structures.
- Klein emphasizes that the 60% Area Median Income (AMI) target of UAP addresses a missing sector in housing needs
- The discussion highlights the importance of considering UAP as part of a broader set of tools and incentives for affordable housing
- The exchange underscores the complexity of addressing affordability in New York City's housing market
- New York is experiencing a housing crisis with low vacancy rates and high rent burdens
- Outdated zoning regulations and exclusionary practices have led to insufficient housing development
- City of Yes for Housing Opportunity provides a citywide roadmap to build more housing in every neighborhood
- The proposal updates zoning codes to meet current housing needs and promote equitable neighborhoods
- Specific proposals include reintroducing Town Center zoning, allowing apartment buildings near transit, permitting accessory dwelling units
- Introduction of Universal Affordability Preference to increase affordable housing
- Removal of parking mandates, allowing conversion of non-residential buildings to housing, and permitting smaller shared housing
- The proposals are designed to match existing neighborhood character while addressing outdated regulations
- Urges the commission to approve City of Yes for Housing Opportunity as currently written
[EXPERIMENTAL]
Which elements of City of Yes for Housing Opportunity were discussed in this testimony?
- UAP
- Residential Conversions
- Town Center Zoning
- Parking Mandates
- ADU
- Transit-Oriented Development
- Campuses
- Small and Shared Housing
The following are AI-extracted quotes and reasoning about which elements of the proposal were discussed in this testimony.
This is a quick, close approximation. Occasionally, the connection between a testimony's transcript and specific elements of City Planning's proposal is tenuous.
Read about this AI-generated analysis here.
UAP
"In medium and high density neighborhood, City of Yes would introduce universal affordability preference, which will allow buildings to add at least 20% more housing if those additional homes are permanently affordable at 60% of area median income."
This quote directly discusses the Universal Affordability Preference (UAP) element of the proposal, mentioning its key features such as allowing 20% more housing and the affordability requirement at 60% AMI.
"We strongly support UAP and its affordability levels, which would specifically serve lower income New Yorkers."
This quote explicitly mentions support for the UAP and its affordability levels, indicating discussion of this element of the proposal.
Residential Conversions
"Finally, City of Yes includes city wide proposals to remove costly parking mandates, allow for the conversions of non residential buildings to housing, and allow for smaller shared housing and campus infill development."
This quote directly mentions the proposal to allow conversions of non-residential buildings to housing, which is a key aspect of the Residential Conversions element of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal.
Town Center Zoning
"For low density neighborhoods, CVS would reintroduce Towne Centre zoning to allow Ground Floor Commercial with 2 to 4 stories of housing above."
This quote directly discusses the Town Center Zoning element of the proposal, mentioning the reintroduction of this zoning type and its key features such as ground floor commercial use with housing above.
Parking Mandates
"Finally, City of Yes includes city wide proposals to remove costly parking mandates, allow for the conversions of non residential buildings to housing, and allow for smaller shared housing and campus infill development."
This quote directly mentions the proposal to remove costly parking mandates, which is the core of the Removing Parking Mandates element of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal.
ADU
"It would allow 3 to 5 story apartment buildings with a half mile of subway and rail stations would permit accessory dwelling units give homeowners the flexibility to adopt their homes to meet their families needs."
This quote directly mentions permitting accessory dwelling units, which is the core of the Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) element of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal.
Transit-Oriented Development
"It would allow 3 to 5 story apartment buildings with a half mile of subway and rail stations"
This quote discusses allowing apartment buildings within a half-mile of public transit, which is a key aspect of the Transit-Oriented Development element of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal.
Campuses
"Finally, City of Yes includes city wide proposals to remove costly parking mandates, allow for the conversions of non residential buildings to housing, and allow for smaller shared housing and campus infill development."
This quote mentions campus infill development, which is directly related to the Campuses element of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal.
Small and Shared Housing
"Finally, City of Yes includes city wide proposals to remove costly parking mandates, allow for the conversions of non residential buildings to housing, and allow for smaller shared housing and campus infill development."
This quote directly mentions allowing for smaller shared housing, which is the core of the Small and Shared Housing element of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal.
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.