Jenny Dubnau
2:54:50
I think I wonder if you should just a quick suggestion.
2:54:55
I wonder if you should, announce the next few Zoom people in a chunk so people can get ready.
2:55:01
It might help things and to streamline things a little bit more.
2:55:04
I know they do that in city council sometimes.
2:55:07
Like many New Yorkers, I'm most concerned about New York City's affordable housing crisis.
2:55:12
But it's painfully obvious that the solution to this crisis is not to simply open the floodgate to allow more overwhelmingly unaffordable housing to be built.
2:55:21
Two major recent studies show that New York City neighborhoods with major development and up zonings lose affordable regulated apartments at a heavy rate, and black, Latino, and low income populations shrink.
2:55:32
There's no evidence that building more mostly unaffordable apartments brings rents down at the low end where most of us are.
2:55:40
It is therefore hard to understand the suggestion to bypass and override displacement based critiques of development projects that can be voiced during Europe.
2:55:50
This override would give give developers carte blanche to build even more housing all over our city that most New Yorkers can't afford actually by muffling the voices of community boards and community members.
2:56:02
The ULURP process is one of the few ways that the voices of community members could be heard.
2:56:06
It's not as though developers are being denied.
2:56:09
As Alicia Boyd mentioned, most ULURP applications are approved even in the face of widespread community opposition.
2:56:15
So these proposed changes feel like a solution in search of a problem.
2:56:20
It's crucial to keep the community boards and local council members' voices alive in this already pro developer process.
2:56:26
And if we're talking about mandating housing approvals by neighborhood, as was mentioned earlier, why not mandate a % deep affordability on all publicly owned land to be built by nonprofit entities like municipalities, nonprofits, and community land trusts.
2:56:43
This what I'm about to say, I don't mean it with any disrespect, but I have to say it.
2:56:48
I'm also deeply concerned about this commission seeming to be in conflict with earlier charter changes proposed by the city council.
2:56:55
We are at a critical moment for New York City where our corrupt mayor is doing the bidding of Donald Trump.
2:57:00
This is the wrong time to approve charter ballot proposals that undermine the authority of the city council at the behest of the discredited mayor Adams.
2:57:09
Permanent changes to our city charter should be undertaken co equally with the city council, should not be politicized, and should include robust community engagement and voter education.
2:57:20
One meeting per borough is not nearly enough.
2:57:23
I have enough concerns about this to sincerely believe that the members of this commission should consider stepping down rather than enabling mayor Adams any further.
2:57:32
And, again, I mean that with no disrespect.
2:57:34
I mean that respectfully.
2:57:36
Thank you very much.
