Council speaker says Mayor Adams’ ‘City of Yes’ plan not enough to address NYC’s housing needs

Mayor Eric Adams’ sweeping “City of Yes” plan to overhaul land use rules and allow more housing development across New York City is approaching a final vote in the City Council later this year — but the Council speaker says it won’t earn members’ approval without serious investments in affordable housing and other community needs.

Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said in a statement to Gothamist that the mayor’s current residential zoning proposal doesn’t guarantee that new homes will be constructed or that they’ll be affordable for New Yorkers.

Before voting on the proposed City of Yes changes, Speaker Adams said the Council will be developing a “housing action plan” that includes affordability requirements, tenant protection laws and greater access to housing vouchers for low-income renters.

“We recognize that zoning reform is one important component to address the housing shortage facing New York City,” she said. “Yet, zoning reform alone is not a housing plan and cannot address the wide-ranging housing needs of New Yorkers.”

The speaker’s stance comes as criminal corruption charges against Mayor Adams and the departures of top officials amid federal investigations into his inner circle threaten to further weaken his ability to push through major policy changes.

Speaker Adams has prioritized new housing development and affordable homeownership during her time in office. The speaker and Council are also suing the mayor to enact measures they passed last year that would give more low-income renters access to housing vouchers.

Mayor Adams’ City of Yes plan would change zoning rules in every neighborhood of the city — from the Staten Island suburbs to the skyscraper canyons of Manhattan — to make way for more housing. The package includes allowing extra units on one- and two-family lots, larger apartment buildings along commercial stretches, and fewer restrictions on what office buildings can be converted to housing.

The plan is intended to alleviate the city’s housing shortage, which takes the biggest toll on low- and moderate-income renters. Less than 1% of apartments priced under $2,400 a month were empty and available to rent last year, according to the city’s most recent housing survey.

City planning officials estimate the mayor’s proposal could fuel the creation of 58,000 to 109,000 new homes over the next 15 years. The plan has earned praise from many housing advocates, policy experts and progressive lawmakers who say current zoning restrictions cap how many new homes the city can add to address a severe shortage. Mayor Adams has also highlighted the segregationist impact of exclusionary zoning, which limits people’s ability to move into new neighborhoods with few homes available.

Affordable housing advocates say they want the Council to ensure new development reaches the neediest New Yorkers.

“We want the Council to leverage this as an opportunity to lead on affordable housing,” said Barika Williams, executive director of the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development, a trade group representing nonprofit developers.

Williams said she wants the City of Yes plan to include affordable housing requirements in every section of the city.

Samuel Stein, a housing policy analyst at the nonprofit Community Service Society, said zoning changes don’t automatically lead to homes New Yorkers can afford.

“It’s important for everyone to understand that zoning reform alone won’t deliver everything that its supporters promise,” he said. Stein added that the city should also create more subsidized housing for low-income residents , strengthen tenant protections, and enact laws giving renters and nonprofits a chance to buy apartment buildings .

The Council is set to hold a public meeting on the City of Yes plan on Oct. 21, and members are expected to question the Adams administration about the proposal.

New Yorkers will also have the opportunity to sound off on the plan at a second meeting on Oct. 22. In addition to calls for more affordable housing and tenant protections, Mayor Adams’ plan has faced fierce opposition among residents of low-density districts who have said the possible addition of new housing, and new neighbors, is a threat.