Maria Deinnocentiis, President of Utopia Estates Civic Association, on opposition to City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal in Queens
6:57:52
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3 min
Maria Deinnocentiis, representing the Utopia Estates Civic Association in Fresh Meadows, Queens, expresses strong opposition to the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal. She argues that the plan would eliminate current zoning regulations and create a one-size-fits-all approach that doesn't account for the unique needs of different boroughs, particularly Queens.
- Deinnocentiis warns that the proposal will destroy the contextual zoning achieved in 2011 and change the character of Queens neighborhoods.
- She criticizes various aspects of the plan, including transit-oriented development, mandatory inclusionary housing, and the reduction of parking requirements.
- The speaker raises concerns about the potential impact on historic districts, open spaces, and the risk of homes being demolished and replaced by larger apartment buildings.
- The proposal will eliminate current zoning and create a one-size-fits-all zoning law
- What works in Manhattan does not always work in Queens
- The plan will destroy the accomplishments of contextual zoning done in 2011
- The plan will change the character of communities and potentially destroy neighborhoods
- Housing in the community is already diverse
- The plan risks homes being demolished and replaced by apartments
- It reduces and removes parking requirements
- The plan will eliminate zoning for historic and special districts
- It will allow campus infill, potentially destroying open spaces
- It will allow religious houses of worship to build apartment buildings
- The plan will streamline zoning regulations, significantly changing neighborhood character
[EXPERIMENTAL]
Which elements of City of Yes for Housing Opportunity were discussed in this testimony?
- 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.
Town Center Zoning
"Towns engine housing units"
This appears to be a reference to 'Town Center Zoning', although slightly misspoken. The speaker is listing this as one of the elements that will 'change the character of our communities'.
Parking Mandates
"It reduces and removes parking requirements."
This directly references the proposal's element of removing parking mandates for new housing developments.
ADU
"legalized dwelling units"
This appears to be a reference to Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), which the speaker lists as one of the elements that will 'change the character of our communities'.
Transit-Oriented Development
"Their Adams housings plans, which he said would push through a transitory into development"
Although misspoken, 'transitory into development' appears to be a reference to 'transit-oriented development'. The speaker is listing this as one of the elements of the mayor's housing plans.
Campuses
"It will also allow campus infill where properties of 1 and a half acres or more can be changed by building in the open space garden areas of those apartments."
This directly references the proposal's element about allowing development on campuses with underused space. The speaker specifically mentions how this would affect open spaces in their community.
Small and Shared Housing
"Your plan expands the opportunity for multifamily homes and creates models for shared housing."
This directly references the proposal's element of allowing for more small and shared housing options.
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.