Latanya Harris on concerns about Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and neighborhood changes in Queens
8:15:37
·
3 min
Latanya Harris, a longtime New York City resident and homeowner in Southeast Queens, expresses strong opposition to the proposed City of Yes for Housing Opportunity initiative, particularly the legalization of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). She argues that these changes would negatively impact the quality of life in Queens neighborhoods and fail to consider the perspectives of current homeowners.
- Harris emphasizes the personal nature of this issue, citing family members living in various Queens neighborhoods that would be affected
- She criticizes the city's approach, suggesting that planners have not adequately engaged with community members or considered the unique characteristics of different Queens neighborhoods
- Harris questions the sudden shift in policy regarding ADUs, which were previously illegal and subject to fines, suggesting the change is driven by potential tax revenue rather than safety concerns
- ADUs will negatively impact quality of life in residential neighborhoods
- Changes to neighborhoods will be permanent and unwanted
- City planners are not considering the perspectives of current homeowners
- Queens has unique, diverse communities that should be preserved
- ADUs were previously illegal and fined, now suddenly considered safe
- The initiative seems to prioritize revenue generation over residents' concerns
- The plan doesn't consider the impact on long-time New Yorkers who have worked hard for their homes
[EXPERIMENTAL]
Which elements of City of Yes for Housing Opportunity were discussed in this testimony?
- ADU
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.
ADU
"Particularly what's what's alarming to me is the ADUs. Several people speak about the ADUs and how it will give the homeowners opportunities. Well, I'm a homeowner. And if my homeowner of my neighbors around me decide to convert a cottage, change their garage, it may be all fine to them, but it impacts me."
This quote directly addresses the ADU element of the proposal, expressing concern about how it might impact the speaker's neighborhood and quality of life.
"When you come into a community and, like, I've listened to the people from Howard Beach And Forest Hills, Queens is very unique. Every community is is unique in its own. It is diversified. There's no risk issues that every every community has very unique set of distinct idealistic ways at which we choose to leave live. And so create an environment where ADUs when I worked at the department to build this They were legal. They were finding people 1000 and 1000 of dollars. How come all of a sudden they become safe?"
This quote further discusses ADUs, questioning the change in policy regarding their legality and safety, which directly relates to the ADU element of the City of Yes 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 Douek explores potential ADU restrictions with Queens resident
8:18:51
·
94 sec
Commissioner Joseph Douek engages with Queens resident Latanya Harris about her concerns regarding Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). He inquires if restricting ADUs to immediate family members would change her perspective, but Harris maintains her opposition.
- Harris expresses that ADUs are unsafe and do not address the core issue of housing affordability
- She shares personal experiences, including her adult son moving away due to high housing costs
- Harris criticizes the focus on building more housing instead of addressing affordability and questions the benefits for existing homeowners
- ADUs will negatively impact quality of life in residential neighborhoods
- Changes to neighborhoods will be permanent and unwanted
- City planners are not considering the perspectives of current homeowners
- Queens has unique, diverse communities that should be preserved
- ADUs were previously illegal and fined, now suddenly considered safe
- The initiative seems to prioritize revenue generation over residents' concerns
- The plan doesn't consider the impact on long-time New Yorkers who have worked hard for their homes
[EXPERIMENTAL]
Which elements of City of Yes for Housing Opportunity were discussed in this testimony?
- ADU
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.
ADU
"Particularly what's what's alarming to me is the ADUs. Several people speak about the ADUs and how it will give the homeowners opportunities. Well, I'm a homeowner. And if my homeowner of my neighbors around me decide to convert a cottage, change their garage, it may be all fine to them, but it impacts me."
This quote directly addresses the ADU element of the proposal, expressing concern about how it might impact the speaker's neighborhood and quality of life.
"When you come into a community and, like, I've listened to the people from Howard Beach And Forest Hills, Queens is very unique. Every community is is unique in its own. It is diversified. There's no risk issues that every every community has very unique set of distinct idealistic ways at which we choose to leave live. And so create an environment where ADUs when I worked at the department to build this They were legal. They were finding people 1000 and 1000 of dollars. How come all of a sudden they become safe?"
This quote further discusses ADUs, questioning the change in policy regarding their legality and safety, which directly relates to the ADU element of the City of Yes 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.