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TESTIMONY

Michelle Kuppersmith, Resident of Southern Manhattan, on support for the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal

3:07:53

·

176 sec

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Michelle Kuppersmith, a resident of Council District 1 in Southern Manhattan, testifies in favor of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal. She shares her family's history of housing challenges in New York City and argues that the proposal is crucial for ensuring affordable housing options for future generations.

  • Kuppersmith refutes claims made by Council Member Marte regarding affordable housing developments in the district
  • She emphasizes the importance of various aspects of the proposal, including transit-oriented development, flexible parking requirements, and updated housing standards
  • Kuppersmith connects the City of Yes proposal to efforts to address segregation and fair housing in New York City
  • Support for the entire City of Yes housing proposal
  • Refuting claims about affordable housing developments in her district
  • Personal family history of housing challenges in New York
  • Importance of affordable housing for keeping families in New York
  • Support for specific elements of the proposal (transit-oriented development, flexible parking requirements, housing standard changes)
  • City of Yes is based on fair housing report addressing segregation
  • Criticism of 'neighborhood character' preservation as a racist and classist concept

[EXPERIMENTAL]

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

  • Parking Mandates
  • Transit-Oriented Development
  • 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.

Parking Mandates

"giving developers flexibility to build only as many parking spots as they need, another no brainer."

This quote directly refers to the proposal's element of removing parking mandates, allowing developers to build parking spots based on need rather than requirement.

Transit-Oriented Development

"allowing apartments to turn transit centers. That's a no brainer"

This quote directly refers to the proposal's element of transit-oriented development, which aims to add housing near public transit.

Small and Shared Housing

"Changing housing standards so we can have apartments with kitchens and bathrooms with windows? A no brainer."

While this quote doesn't explicitly mention small and shared housing, it refers to changing housing standards, which is related to the proposal's element of re-legalizing housing with shared facilities and allowing more studios and one-bedrooms.

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?
Michelle Kuppersmith
3:07:53
Hi.
3:07:54
Good afternoon.
3:07:54
And commissioners.
3:07:55
Thank you for being here and listening to our testimony.
3:07:57
My name is Michelle Cooper Smith, and I'm here to ask you to vote in favor of the entirety of the city of yes housing proposal.
3:08:03
I'm a council district 1 resident.
3:08:05
So although Chairman Grodnik already stole my line about the lack of subsidized units produced in my district in 2023, I can provide you some context for council member Marte's false claims of any anything to do with the Gotham Senior Citizens Affordable Development or the Grand Street Guild Section 8 Development.
3:08:21
Both developments were approved years before Marte was elected in 2021.
3:08:25
I myself voted to approve the Gotham Mueller in 2019 as a CB 3 member.
3:08:29
Consulamararte has also been a steadfast opponent to the habitat for humanity, 100% subsidized development in Haven Green, and 250 Water Street, which is a 25% subsidized development.
3:08:39
I find his plans that he wants affordable housing, and this is just not the right proposal, disingenuous.
3:08:44
Anyway, I digress.
3:08:45
My great grandparents, and we're ready to New York from Eastern Europe from Puerto Rico.
3:08:49
They live in the Lowry side where I live now.
3:08:50
I'm Upper West Side in in Brownsville.
3:08:52
My dad grew up in a one bedroom apartment with his grandparents and mom and queens, where my grandmother still lives 70 years later.
3:08:58
And my mom shared a room with her younger brother and ease flattish.
3:09:01
But when it came time for them to start a family, they took their talents to New Jersey, a decision that I've been mad at them for since I became a sentient human.
3:09:07
But why did they give up on their hometown?
3:09:09
Even nearly 40 years ago, they felt housing in New York was too expensive despite the fact they desperately wanted to live near their families.
3:09:16
The reason that I'm here testifying on a random Wednesday, even though I have a full time job, is to ask the commissioners to move us towards a future where no family ever needs to make that decision again.
3:09:25
My uncle who buys apartment in Chelsea for $27,000 in 1983 always told me when I was in my twenties, Michelle, you'll get your housing deal.
3:09:33
All my friends did although he is more aware of the housing situation than most people who have lived in the same apartment for 40 years, he still thinks things were the same as when he moved out of his parents in 1979.
3:09:43
Frankly, the only housing deal that I ever came across was finding someone who wanted to cohabitate with me.
3:09:48
There are no more deals in New York.
3:09:50
For my generation, stable housing is our largest cost, our biggest impediment, and our most important goal.
3:09:56
City of Yoss is an important step to make sure that no family ever needs make the decision to leave New York, allowing apartments to turn transit centers.
3:10:03
That's a no brainer, giving developers flexibility to build only as many parking spots as they need, another no brainer.
3:10:09
Changing housing standards so we can have apartments with kitchens and bathrooms with windows?
3:10:13
A no brainer.
3:10:14
I also want to remind everyone in the room today that City of Yes was developed based on the city's fair housing together report, which was done through years of extensive engagement and came up with ways to end years of dejure and de facto segregation in our city has only been furthered by an ongoing racist and classist desire to preserve so called neighborhood character.
3:10:33
A dog whistle I've unfortunately heard several times today during testimony.
3:10:36
So I urge the commissioners to vote yes on this proposal in its strongest form so that we can do the right thing and make sure all New Yorkers, current and future, have a safe and affordable place Thank you so much, and thank you for sending through all of our testimony.
3:10:47
Have a great day.

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