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TESTIMONY

Olive Freud, President of the Committee for Environmentally Sound Development, on concerns about increased density and lack of affordable housing mandates in City of Yes for Housing Opportunity

4:26:46

·

3 min

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Olive Freud, representing the Committee for Environmentally Sound Development, expresses deep concerns about the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity initiative. She argues that the plan could undo past urban renewal efforts, increase density and congestion, and fails to adequately address affordable housing needs in New York City.

  • Criticizes the initiative for potentially reducing open spaces, decreasing distances between buildings, and allowing taller structures through zoning lot expansions and air rights transfers.
  • Emphasizes that Manhattan, as the densest borough, would suffer the most from increased density.
  • Points out that affordable housing, the city's most pressing need, is not mandated but left optional for developers in the proposal.
  • Concerned about global warming and its impact on city planning
  • Opposes increased density and congestion in Manhattan
  • Criticizes the lack of mandated affordable housing in the plan
  • Worried about loss of open space, light, and air in the city
  • Objects to reduced distances between buildings and potential infill development
  • Concerns about the reduction of public input and City Council involvement in decision-making
  • Argues that Manhattan is already the densest borough and shouldn't be made denser
  • Criticizes the reliance on developers for affordable housing
  • Emphasizes the importance of preserving existing affordable housing

[EXPERIMENTAL]

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

  • UAP
  • 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

"Nowhere in c o y h o is affordable housing. The city's most pressing need. Man it's it's the the most pressing need and it's not mandate mandated Developers are given the option of doing of adding such tuners and raising the height allowing allowing for buildings."

This quote discusses the lack of mandated affordable housing in the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity (COYHO) proposal, which relates to the UAP element. The speaker criticizes that affordable housing, despite being a pressing need, is only optional for developers in the proposal.

"New York must do much more than rely on the developers for affordable housing."

This statement directly relates to the UAP element, as it criticizes the reliance on developers for affordable housing, which is a key aspect of the UAP proposal.

Small and Shared Housing

"Syndian White House, the opportunity threatens to undo These welcome efforts with infill infill, I call it, into precious open space. Reduce mandatory distances between buildings and the outside of and the outside of windows."

This quote indirectly relates to the Small and Shared Housing element of the proposal. The speaker is criticizing the potential for increased density and reduced distances between buildings, which could be a result of allowing more small and shared housing units.

"And ever taller buildings by expanding zoning lots and spurious air rights transfers. This is an increase in density congestion, shadows of a overcapacity use of use of infrastructure."

This statement also relates to the Small and Shared Housing element, as it discusses the potential increase in density and congestion that could result from changes in zoning regulations, which is part of the proposal to allow for more small and shared housing units.


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?
Olive Freud
4:26:46
I'm the president of the committee for environmentally sound development, which for over 30 years, has advocated for quality of life and you and scale city with access for for residents to skies, sunlight, parks, and open space.
4:27:04
And we are profoundly concerned about global warming.
4:27:10
This must be a factor.
4:27:12
In any plan for the future of New York City.
4:27:17
In the early sixties, urban renewal projects went further and created designs that promised more open space light in every window, grass, and grass gardens.
4:27:30
The result, we had night shift, Lincoln Towers, Park West, Stuyvesant Town.
4:27:36
These were favorable results.
4:27:38
That replaced an overcrowded slums.
4:27:42
Syndian White House, the opportunity threatens to undo These welcome efforts with infill infill, I call it, into precious open space.
4:27:56
Reduce mandatory distances between buildings and the outside of and the outside of windows.
4:28:02
And ever taller buildings by expanding zoning lots and spurious air rights transfers.
4:28:10
This is an increase in density congestion, shadows of a overcapacity use of use of infrastructure.
4:28:18
Matt Manhattan is the densest borough.
4:28:22
It will suffer the most.
4:28:24
It's almost insanity to insist on greater density in the dentist place in the city and in the country, I would say.
4:28:34
Nowhere in c o y h o is affordable housing.
4:28:42
The city's most pressing need.
4:28:45
Man it's it's the the most pressing need and it's not mandate mandated Developers are given the option of doing of adding such tuners and raising the height allowing allowing for buildings.
4:29:01
New York must do much more than rely on the developers for affordable housing.
4:29:09
One of the things we can make sure in this city is that we don't you lose affordable housing, which is really criminal.
4:29:16
Juler approval, which involves the city council and a required public hearing, would be eviscerated.
4:29:28
Koi, a lot of major decisions about the future of New York City.
4:29:34
To be made by 13 people in the city planning commission.
4:29:38
7 of whom are appointed by the mayor.
4:29:43
The council of the mayor has shown himself to be pro development, not concerned what what he applied for those of us live here.
4:29:53
Hi.

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