Mayor Eric Adams rapped neighborhood activists for refusing to address the city’s housing crunch — including his “City of Yes” proposal that would overhaul zoning regulations and allow the construction of tens of thousands more dwellings.
During his 107.5 WBLS radio show, the mayor and Housing & Preservation Development Commissioner Adolfo Carrion said 49 of the 59 community boards have failed to produce an adequate supply of housing units.
Ten of the community boards have produced as much new housing as the other 49 combined, they said.
“If we are saying in 49 of those community boards that you don’t want housing here, that’s a problem,” Adams said Sunday. “We can’t say on Monday housing is a right, and then on Tuesday we say we don’t want it built on our block.”
Thirty-eight community boards have issued non-binding votes against the City Yes for Housing, projected to generate 100,000 new apartments and other dwellings over 15 years. Eighteen support the measure and the remainder are on the fence.
The Council is expected to vote on the ambitious plan by year’s end.
The “Not In My Back Yard” opposition is not unusual. Many community boards also opposed former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s mandatory inclusionary housing plan, which nonetheless was approved by the City Council.
The city has a 1.4% housing vacancy rate, the lowest in some 60 years, Adams said.
The mayor, who says more housing is needed for college graduates and the elderly, asked Carrion how many of the 59 community boards are producing affordable housing.
“Sadly, of the 59 community boards, only 10 are building affordable housing,” he replied. “The other 49 are refusing it. The other 49 are in the way, I like to say it, they live in the City of No and there’s 10 that live in the City of Yes….We cannot be a City of No.”
Adams’ “City of Yes for Economic Opportunity” plan would provide a “bonus” to developers to build 20% higher, if the additional space is dedicated to lower-than-market rate apartments.
It would allow more apartment construction around transit hubs and above buildings in commercial strips and permit homeowners to create apartments up to 800 square feet in their basements, garages and attics.
In addition, the proposal would update zoning rules to make it easier to convert office towers into apartments.
One of the proposals that has provoked resistance would eliminate parking requirements for developers, such as providing 25 or 50 parking spots for 100 apartments.
Opponents typically object to denser housing development as altering the character of the neighborhood and inviting more congestion and straining infrastructure and other services.
Carrion urged citizens who want more affordable housing options to turn up the heat on their elected representatives.
“If you hear your council member saying that this is not good for the future of the city, you got to challenge them on the spot … unfortunately a good number of them have initially said no, and we need to tell them we don’t we don’t want to live in the City of No, we want to live in the City of Yes,” he said on the radio program.
Approval by the City Council is not a given.
Last month, The Post reported that lawmakers expressed alarm for the Bronx Metro-North Neighborhood proposal, which will add 7,500 new homes alongside four new rail stops in Hunts Point, Parkchester/Van Nest, Morris Park and Co-Op City. The 46-block stretch along the Metro-North train line that the city hopes to revitalize has nowhere near enough schools, cops, firefighters and even sewers to handle the influx of new residents, critics said.
Adams’ plan must be reviewed and approved by the Council’s zoning panel and land use committees before a full vote by the body. Bronx Councilman Kevin Riley, who chairs the zoning and franchising subcommittee, has expressed misgivings about the Metro-North plan on his turf.
But the Council’s land use committee, Rafael Salamanca of The Bronx, said Monday he expects the plan to pass the chamber — with changes following negotiations with lawmakers. He said the elimination of the parking requirements is a problem that has to be addressed.
“It’s a good plan. Housing is needed in every community and every community should do its fair share,” Salamanca said.
City Planning Planning Director Dan Garodnick said Adams’ team is pushing to get the housing plan over the finish line. The status quo, he said, is unacceptable.
“The mayor is taking a bite out of a big problem. Inaction is simply not an option,” Garodnick said.
