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Q&A
Commissioner Diane Savino and Candidate Cliff Hagan discuss ULURP flexibility and Staten Island's housing needs
0:22:25
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176 sec
Commissioner Diane Savino questions Cliff Hagan on whether some flexibility in the ULURP process could be found, suggesting that different-sized projects shouldn't be treated identically.
She highlights the housing affordability crisis on Staten Island, where young residents struggle to find housing, and asks how to balance responsible development with the need for more housing.
Mr. Hagan responds by citing historical data on Staten Island's housing growth, arguing the borough has borne its fair share of development and that the focus should be elsewhere.
- Commissioner Savino reiterates the concern for the future of young Staten Islanders and the risk of the borough becoming an older, house-rich, cash-poor community.
- Mr. Hagan suggests that affordable housing involves more variables than just building more housing, such as the availability of well-paying jobs.
Diane Savino
0:22:25
Thank you, Cliff.
0:22:26
And I know how passionate you are about this.
0:22:28
You've been involved in Staten Island longer than I've been around.
0:22:31
But do you not think there's some flexibility that could be found in the EULRP process that a 60 story building and a two story home should not be treated the same way?
0:22:42
Let's say a five story building.
0:22:44
No.
0:22:44
They are if they're subject to EULRP, it's the same process.
0:22:47
I mean, is there in your mind, to your way of thinking, you don't have to answer it now, but I mean, I would suggest think about it.
0:22:52
Is there some possibility that for particular types of projects, you could streamline the process so we could get more housing built?
0:23:00
And, again, Staten Island is not Manhattan.
0:23:01
It's not Brooklyn.
0:23:02
We're not building 100 and story buildings.
0:23:05
You know, it's never gonna be that way.
0:23:06
We don't either we don't have the land, number one, and number two, we wouldn't have the support from from the community.
0:23:11
But there's there's no doubt that the Staten Island that I moved to twenty some odd years ago where you could buy a house and it would be relatively affordable, no longer exists for thousands of Staten Islanders.
0:23:24
People who came here, built a life and a family and owned a home, their kids are not gonna be able to stay here because there's nowhere for them to go.
0:23:33
How do we how do we square that circle so we can have responsible development, expedite the development of quality housing so that young Staten Islanders can stay here and have that same experience that you and I had?
Cliff Hagan
0:23:47
Yes.
0:23:48
What I did not read.
0:23:50
Right.
0:23:50
What I did not read.
0:23:52
Over the past forty years, from 1970 to 02/2010, Staten Island, let's see.
0:23:59
Our borough was born a heavy burden, increased housing in New York City.
0:24:02
During those forty years, Staten Island saw 87,000 new housing units.
0:24:06
Queens, a 127,000.
0:24:09
Manhattan, a 132,000.
0:24:11
Brooklyn, 98,000, or The Bronx, just 3,000.
0:24:15
Right?
0:24:15
So I think the focus should be elsewhere.
0:24:17
Staten Island with only two and a half percent of the the population of New York City has already borne its fair share of development on the island.
0:24:28
And and, thankfully, according to, the state controller, The Bronx is now on pace to catch up with the rest of the state.
Diane Savino
0:24:36
I don't wanna argue with you, Cliff.
0:24:37
I just I just wanna remind us all that there is a there is a future for the kids who grew up on this island that have nowhere to go.
0:24:44
So they're we're either gonna figure out how to solve that problem and create the kind of quality affordable housing that everybody can grow into, or we're gonna become an older community.
0:24:54
You know, I'm on the verge of being old.
0:24:55
Okay?
0:24:56
An older community where people are house rich and cash poor, and that's not good for Staten Island either.
Cliff Hagan
0:25:01
Sure.
0:25:02
I I would only respond that when I purchased my home twenty five years ago, I had a fabulous union job.
0:25:07
Right?
0:25:07
And and those jobs are not quite as available.
0:25:10
Now it's it's a larger there's a lot more variables involved in affordable housing than just more housing.
Richard R. Buery Jr.
0:25:18
Thank you so much.
0:25:19
Thank you both for your testimony.
0:25:21
I appreciate it.