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TESTIMONY
Testimony by HPD Acting Commissioner Ahmed Tigani on accelerating affordable housing
0:50:29
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4 min
Acting Commissioner Ahmed Tigani of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) testifies in strong support of the commission's proposed land use revisions.
He argues that the current ULURP process often acts as a "speed bump, if not a roadblock" to creating affordable housing.
Tigani believes the proposed solutions will slash bureaucratic redundancy, get shovels in the ground faster, and provide new tools to address the city's housing emergency.
- Tigani states that the proposed charter revisions will accelerate HPD's work to create and preserve affordable housing.
- He contends that ULURP adds unnecessary cost and time, limiting HPD's ability to build deeply affordable housing.
- He provides an example of a 100% affordable housing project that spent over a year in pre-certification and seven months in ULURP, despite having unanimous support.
- He believes the proposed solutions thoughtfully restore the intent of the 1989 charter while addressing the urgency of historically low vacancy rates.
Ahmed Tigani
0:50:29
Good evening, chair Buri, vice chair Greenberg, secretary Bozarg, and members of the charter revision commission.
0:50:37
I am Ahmed Tegani, acting commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
0:50:42
I'm joined by my colleague, Michael Sandler, associate commissioner for neighborhood strategies.
0:50:48
We're thankful for the opportunity to testify on how this commission's proposed revisions to the city charter will accelerate our agency's work to create and preserve affordable housing for New Yorkers and help address our long standing fair housing challenges.
0:51:04
We commend this commission's reports, which documents the limitations and challenges of a uniform land use review procedure in balancing meaningful community involvement with the emergency confronting the current state of housing access in our city.
0:51:21
HPE greatly values and places tremendous resources into community engagement when we advance new projects through the various discretionary approval processes.
0:51:31
Yet it's hard to ignore that ULURP has regularly become a speed bump, if not a roadblock, to lowering housing prices for everyone and expanding New Yorkers' choices to move to where it is best for them and their families.
0:51:44
At a time when we need to build in every neighborhood to respond to the ongoing housing emergency, ULURP adds cost and time, ultimately limiting HPD's ability to build deeply affordable housing.
0:51:56
The proposed solutions thoughtfully restores the intent of the 1989 charter to integrate local perspectives into a citywide decision decision making framework while providing new tools to address the urgency of historically low vacancy rates.
0:52:11
If approved by voters in the fall, bureaucratic redundancy for subsidized affordable housing will be slashed.
0:52:18
This means HPD will be able to get shovels in the ground faster and use subsidy more effectively.
0:52:24
At the same time, local voices through community board review will still continue to be a central part of the review process.
0:52:31
To illustrate the impact, we would like to share three recent affordable housing examples.
0:52:36
10931095 Jerome Avenue in Highbridge shows how EULRP disadvantages affordable housing to market rate housing.
0:52:45
Unanimously supported by the community members and elected officials at all levels, this recently approved project replaces two structurally unsound buildings with a newly constructed 100% affordable housing building serving low income individuals and families.
0:53:01
Yet even for projects like this one that meet zoning requirements, ULIP is required for public land disposition, while projects on private land required no discretionary review.
0:53:12
For this project, HPD spent over a year in pre certification and seven months in EULIP itself.
0:53:19
Under the proposed expedited land use review procedure, projects that conform with zoning would skip pre certification, continue to undergo community review, and then go straight to the city council.
0:53:33
9704 Stufin Boulevard in Jamaica shows us how the process, even for minor changes, put projects at risk.
0:53:41
This transit oriented housing project replaces a single story health center in in that is delivering senior housing above a new facility operated by the Community Healthcare Network.
0:53:51
This project, however, needed EULIP to rezone the site to be part of the immediately adjacent zoning district.
0:53:57
In the years between when the project was first conceived and when when it received approvals, hard costs and interest rates
Richard R. Buery Jr.
0:54:03
I'm sorry, Carol, commissioner, because we are over can you, if you could I can.
0:54:07
Wrap up, I would appreciate it.
Ahmed Tigani
0:54:09
Sure.
0:54:09
I'd let me just finish by saying that recognizing the scale and complexity of our housing crisis and fair housing challenges, these are tools that we need in order to deliver affordable housing at a speed that the crisis demands.
0:54:21
We believe that these are measured, reasonable.
0:54:23
We appreciate the input that you took to shape them, and we believe that these will have incredible impact at a time when we have too many people in shelter, too many people rent burdened, and not enough choices to create the housing that New Yorkers deserve.