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TESTIMONY

Peter Estes representing B.J. Jones of The New New York on strong support for City of Yes for Housing Opportunity

4:49:42

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3 min

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Peter Estes, representing B.J. Jones, Executive Director of The New New York, expresses strong support for the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity initiative. The testimony highlights how this initiative aligns with the New New York panel's action plan for equitable city recovery and addresses key housing issues.

  • Emphasizes the initiative's role in reducing barriers to housing growth, increasing supportive housing supply, and making business districts more livable
  • Praises the plan for allowing contextual 'missing middle' housing near transit, simplifying housing development on faith-based institution campuses, and introducing the Universal Affordability Preference
  • Argues that the zoning reforms are both ambitious and necessary to address the long-standing imbalance between housing demand and supply in New York City
  • Strong support for the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity
  • Aligns with the New New York panel's action plan for equitable recovery
  • Helps tackle 3 key initiatives: reducing barriers to housing growth, increasing supportive housing supply, and making business districts more live-work-play
  • Allows for contextual missing middle small apartment buildings near transit
  • Simplifies housing development on faith-based institution campuses
  • Universal affordability preference paired with 485x incentive can be a game changer for affordable and supportive housing
  • Allows modest apartment buildings above businesses on Commercial Streets
  • Makes office to residential conversions easier
  • Creates new high-density zoning districts with strong affordability requirements
  • Addresses decades-long imbalance between housing demand and supply
  • Will benefit New Yorkers at all income levels
  • Ensures New York remains a livable city and magnet for global talent

[EXPERIMENTAL]

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

  • UAP
  • Residential Conversions
  • Town Center Zoning
  • Transit-Oriented Development
  • Campuses

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

"The universal affordability preference paired estate incentive 485x can be a game changer for affordable and supportive housing in New York."

This quote directly mentions the Universal Affordability Preference, which is a key element of the City of Yes For Housing Opportunity proposal. It discusses how this preference, paired with another incentive, can significantly impact affordable and supportive housing in New York.

Residential Conversions

"The plan before us today allows modest apartment buildings above businesses on Commercial Streets makes needed and common sense office to residential conversions much easier"

This quote directly refers to making office to residential conversions easier, which is a key aspect of the Residential Conversions element of the City of Yes For Housing Opportunity proposal.

Town Center Zoning

"The plan before us today allows modest apartment buildings above businesses on Commercial Streets"

This quote aligns with the Town Center Zoning element of the proposal, which aims to relegalize housing above businesses on commercial streets in low-density areas.

"Conversions, Town Center zoning and new high density zoning districts our breath of fresh air for the commercial corridors and core business districts that sustain our city's economic vitality."

This quote directly mentions Town Center zoning as part of the plan, indicating that it is being discussed as an element of the City of Yes For Housing Opportunity proposal.

Transit-Oriented Development

"City of US for housing opportunity works towards this in a number of important ways such as allowing for contextual missing middle small apartment buildings near transit"

This quote directly mentions allowing small apartment buildings near transit, which aligns with the Transit-Oriented Development element of the City of Yes For Housing Opportunity proposal.

Campuses

"making it simpler for the many faith based institutions who wish to build housing on their campuses to do so."

This quote directly refers to making it easier for faith-based institutions to build housing on their campuses, which is a key aspect of the Campuses 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.

↗ Why are there transcription and diarization errors?
Peter Estes
4:49:42
I'm Peter Estes reading for BJ Jones.
4:49:43
It's my boss.
4:49:45
So I'll read his remarks for the record.
4:49:47
Peter Estes, e s t e s.
4:49:51
Thanks for the opportunity.
4:49:53
My name is BJ Jones.
4:49:55
I'm the executive director of the New New York.
4:49:57
And I am testifying to express my strong support for the city of yes for housing opportunity.
4:50:02
The new New York panel, a group of 59 civic leaders and industry experts was convened by Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams to develop an action plan for the equitable recovery of the city.
4:50:12
The city of yes for housing opportunities like the already past city of yes for carbon neutrality and the City of Yes for Economic Opportunity directly aligns with its holistic plans goals for a more inclusive and vibrant New York City.
4:50:25
Cannot be resigned to the consequences of our dire housing shortage.
4:50:28
And instead, we must seize this opportunity to build upon recent hard fought housing legislation and advanced policy reforms within the city's control to build a little more housing in every neighborhood.
4:50:38
That is what the city of yes for housing opportunity is all about.
4:50:41
In particular, this package of zoning reforms helps tackle 3 of the New York plant's 40 key initiatives.
4:50:47
1st is to reduce barriers to housing growth.
4:50:50
City of US for housing opportunity works towards this in a number of important ways such as allowing for contextual missing middle small apartment buildings near transit and making it simpler for the many faith based institutions who wish to build housing on their campuses to do so.
4:51:05
2nd is to increase New York's supply of supportive housing which is crucial for providing permanent affordable homes to New Yorkers and may also need social service support to remain housed.
4:51:15
The universal affordability preference paired estate incentive 485x can be a game changer for affordable and supportive housing in New York.
4:51:23
And third is to make business districts more live work play.
4:51:28
The plan before us today allows modest apartment buildings above businesses on Commercial Streets makes needed and common sense office to residential conversions much easier and in high demand areas creates new high density zoning districts, which come with strong affordability requirements.
4:51:43
Conversions, Town Center zoning and new high density zoning districts our breath of fresh air for the commercial corridors and core business districts that sustain our city's economic vitality.
4:51:53
It will help create more of the vibrant safer, resilient mixed use neighborhoods that New Yorkers love.
4:51:59
I have tremendous respect for the hard work that went into this plan.
4:52:02
It demonstrates how, with city planning leading the charge, the Adams administration is tackling our housing crisis thoughtfully.
4:52:08
But the ambitiousness of these zoning reforms is rivaled by their absolute necessity.
4:52:13
This package will address a decades long imbalance between housing demand and supply.
4:52:18
Instead of unchecked costs pushing people out of New York City, we can spur housing growth that will benefit New Yorkers at all income levels and ensure New York remains a livable city and magnet for global talent for generations to come.
4:52:29
City of Yes for housing opportunity reflects New York at its best.
4:52:33
Together, we can tackle our biggest challenges.
4:52:36
Some have said it is hard to get things done in New York City, but it's often the most difficult things that are the most worthwhile.
4:52:44
As the New York panel's co chairs, Dan Doctor.
4:52:46
Off and Richard Weary put it, the CityVS is a down payment on New York's future.
4:52:51
Let's be bold, make that investment with the City of Yes, for housing opportunity.

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