Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
Q&A
Using council deference and local AMI mandates to achieve deep affordability
1:59:31
·
151 sec
Commissioner Shams DaBaron asks Alicia Boyd about funding truly affordable development and facilitating constructive community engagement. Boyd points to Council Member Charles Barron's use of council deference in East New York as a model for demanding deep affordability and suggests mandating local Area Median Income (AMI) targets for all new development within the charter.
- Boyd cites East New York under Charles Barron as an example where council deference secured deeply affordable housing ($500 studios, $850-$1000 3-bedrooms).
- She proposes a charter mandate requiring any new housing development to include units affordable at the local community's AMI.
- She questions why this isn't standard practice and suggests asking Barron how he achieved it.
Shams DaBaron
1:59:31
So wow.
1:59:35
This is a hard one.
Alicia Boyd
1:59:38
Yes.
1:59:39
It's all living in New York City.
Shams DaBaron
1:59:41
Oh, I love it.
1:59:43
So the what I'm trying to learn is some solutions and stuff like that, and you you're speaking to to a lot of that.
1:59:52
In my in my, limited awareness, I'm just trying to wonder, how do we, like, how do we fund, the type of developments that allow for the affordability?
2:00:08
I think some of the developments that happen and they target communities of, you know, where the predominant populations, people of color, is because, you know, it's easier to build this.
2:00:22
It's more cost effective, etcetera, and they'll find a way to make the money.
2:00:27
Right?
2:00:29
So that's where we start to talk about zoning and fair share and stuff like that, being able to spread it throughout the city and find other opportunities.
2:00:39
But if they're coming to our community, like, how do we have the discussion?
2:00:45
Where do we have that discussion?
2:00:46
What's community book, residents, etcetera?
2:00:49
How do we have that to where we can balance it out to actually bring the development and make it make sense?
Alicia Boyd
2:00:56
Well, I think you can look at Charles Barron's East New York district.
2:01:02
He did a wonderful job using community def city council deference and then showing that nothing that came into his community was not benefiting his community.
2:01:11
I saw the six story high rise developments.
2:01:14
I saw the $500 for studio apartments.
2:01:19
I saw the three bedroom apartments for between $8.50 and a thousand dollars with my own eyes.
2:01:25
He was strong.
2:01:26
He advocated for his residence, and he got the development.
2:01:31
So why aren't we demanding that in our city charter?
2:01:35
Why aren't we demanding that area medium income be the target for any development coming into a community?
2:01:42
That's a way.
2:01:43
You if you wanna come and build in here, then if you're gonna provide us housing, then it has to be at the AMI of the local community.
2:01:51
Why hasn't that been happening?
2:01:53
Why can't that happen?
2:01:55
Well, he did it.
2:01:56
So why don't you ask him?
2:01:58
How was done?
2:02:00
He's still around.