Neighborhood planning studies will begin in 2025 for Bronx Community District 7 after the Adams administration, the governor, and New York City Council struck a $5 billion deal on Thursday, Nov. 21, to move ahead with a revised housing plan that aims to address the citywide housing shortage and affordability crisis by building a little more housing in every City neighborhood. Similar neighborhood planning studies are also due to take place in 2025 for Bronx Community District 12 and Brooklyn Community Districts 12, 14, and 17.

The plan and modified zoning changes are estimated to create more than 80,000 new homes over 15 years, while helping to make housing more affordable and to strengthen neighborhoods. Speaker Adrienne Adams said the deal meant that it was possible to create a significant amount of new housing in every neighborhood, while respecting neighborhood character and investing in more affordable housing, communities, and homeownership.

“Today is an important step forward to address the city’s housing crisis that is making it unaffordable for working- and middle-class New Yorkers,” the speaker said. “Residents of our city need affordable and stable homes to rent and own, and addressing that shortage, while supporting existing homeowners and tenants, deepening affordability, and strengthening the infrastructure of neighborhoods, are goals we must all share for a safer and stronger city.”

Meanwhile, Salamanca, who represents part of the South Bronx and once again is running for Bronx borough president, said in part that the agreement was a culmination of extensive conversations between the council, the Adams administration, and the communities they served. “Taking into account the apprehensions of our constituents, the City Council balanced these concerns against the very real need to respond to the housing crisis this City is indisputably facing,” the councilman said.

He continued, “In the process, we secured $5 billion in investments ($2 billion for housing, $2 billion in capital, $1 billion for agency operations) that will create more deeply affordable housing, expand affordable homeownership opportunities and strengthen affordable housing preservation, while also adding billions in capital funding for critical infrastructure enhancement projects throughout the Council’s 51 districts.”

Meanwhile, Bronx Council Member Pierina Sanchez (C.D. 14), chair of the committee on housing buildings, also welcomed the deal, saying it took an incredible amount of courage to do what was right, even in the face of vocal opposition. “Saying ‘no’ may seem like the easier position to take – but we have a duty to take a broader, long-term perspective on our city’s housing crisis,” she said. “We must do everything in our power to house our fellow New Yorkers,” she added in part.

Council officials said the council’s modifications address concerns raised by communities, balancing the character of neighborhoods with the citywide need to address a shortage of affordable housing. They said every neighborhood will contribute to producing housing to address the city’s affordability and housing crisis.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also celebrated the agreement as they said New York City faced a generational housing crisis with just a 1.4 percent rental vacancy rate, adding that in addition to the creation of up to 80,000 new homes, it will also help lower the cost of rent for New Yorkers across the five boroughs.

“Everyday New Yorkers have carried the burden of a generational housing crisis for far too long,” said the mayor. ‘Today, in partnership with Gov. Hochul, Speaker Adams, and Chairs Salamanca and Riley, we are one step closer to delivering long overdue relief through the ‘City of Yes for Housing Opportunity.”

He added in part, “Thanks to our shared commitment in building critically-needed housing, we have reached an agreement on a historic plan that could open the doors to a little more housing in every neighborhood in our city, with no borough, block, or backyard left behind.” The commitments and deal hinge on a December 5th final vote by the City Council. The mayor added, “If passed, New York City will, once again, serve as a model to the nation on government’s infinite ability to take challenges head-on, set forth a bold agenda, and get the job done.”

For her part, Hochul said in part that with New York having a housing affordability crisis, there was only one way out: to build more housing. “That’s why earlier this year, I fought tooth-and-nail for a major package of reforms and investments that will build thousands of new homes for everyday New Yorkers,” she said. We got it done, in part, because of strong partnerships with our colleagues in New York City, and I’m proud to stand with them as they move forward with their plan to build a little more housing in every neighborhood.”

The City of Yes proposal had previously been met with skepticism by Bronx Community Board 8, as reported, and similarly, some members of Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) had raised some concerns about the rezoning amendments when presented to the CB7 Land Use committee in October 2023. It was, however, generally acknowledged that the existing zoning rules were outdated, and due a revision. Representatives from NYC Department of Planning (DCP) gave a presentation on the amendments, noted questions, and returned at the CB7 November 2023 board meeting with responses to the various points raised.

At that November 2023 CB7 board meeting, land use chair Sandra Erickson tabled the motion to send a letter of support to DCP in favor of the proposed amendments. Some members expressed concerns about how the changes would affect small businesses with limited resources, and suggested there was a general lack of awareness by the public about the proposed changes. Nonetheless, the board ultimately voted in favor of the motion, though it was not a unanimous vote.

The zoning modifications include the following.

– Parking mandates will strike a balance between housing development and the need for parking in some parts of the city by creating a three-zone system (map of the zones).

o   Zone 1: No parking mandated, creating the most populous parking mandate-free area in the U.S. – nearly triple the size of Austin, the largest U.S. city to lift parking mandates. (~2.8 million to ~980k).

o   Zone 2: Some amount of parking – significantly reduced from today’s requirements – mandated for the limited number of cases where it is necessary.

o   Zone 3: Parking mandates will remain; in these areas, it would likely be produced to meet market demand regardless.

o   The forms of development that parking would most interfere with will be largely exempt from these mandates, regardless of zone: ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units), conversions, affordable housing, transit-oriented development, and Town Center development. ADUs are small, independent, residential dwelling units located on the same lot as an existing home. In Zone 3, affordable housing would have a reduced parking requirement and Town Center developments over 75 units would have a standard requirement.

– For buildings over approximately 50 units, in low-density areas, developers can only “max out” the allowable zoning if they include permanently income-restricted affordable housing. This is the first time zoning has incentivized income-restricted affordable housing in low-density areas – a historic step that takes inclusionary zoning citywide and will ensure that every neighborhood is open to affordable housing. This affordability will mesh with State tax policy to ensure construction is still viable.

– The low-density proposals (ADUs, transit-oriented development, Town Center) have been modified to apply in more limited geographies, while ensuring that every part of the city still has a mechanism for new housing. These new geographies are responsive to concerns about flooding and ensure that new development fits into the intent of the existing zoning.

– Zoning reforms on “campuses” will ensure that new development is contextual with existing building heights and protects playgrounds and other recreation spaces.

A full summary of the zoning modifications can be found here.

Accompanying commitments include:

–  $2 billion in additional housing capital investments to finance affordable housing preservation, including Mitchell-Lama projects, NYCHA investments, and HDFCs

–  $2 billion in infrastructure investments, including stormwater and drainage systems, street improvements, open space, and sewer upgrades.

–  $200 million to NYCHA to promote vacant unit readiness and Section 9 repairs

–  $215 million in additional funding for CityFHEPS across FY25 and FY26

–  $187 million in increased CityFHEPS rental assistance for rehabilitation and conversion of homeless housing over ten years

–  a commitment to work on issues related to “Justice Involved Supportive Housing” and the “15/15 Supportive Housing” program with $137 million in capital funding

–  an additional $41 million to double HomeFirst downpayment assistance and expand eligibility to more moderate income homebuyers

–  the expansion of the HomeFix 2.0 commitment totaling $27.7 million to support homeowners’ repairs

–  restoring $7.6 million in baselined funding to sustain the “Anti-Harassment Tenant Protection” (AHTP) program in Financial Year 2025 and the outeryears.

–  additional investment of $1.41 million per year in “Partners in Preservation” for tenant organizing

–  200 new staff lines for NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development to support a range of development, planning, and enforcement functions across the agency, and NYC Department of Buildings.

–  an additional $5.9 million in Financial Year 2025 to support DCP’s capacity for neighborhood planning efforts.

–  a joint City-State Mitchell-Lama task force to improve and stabilize Mitchell-Lama projects citywide

–  the initiation of neighborhood planning studies in Brooklyn Community Boards 12, 14, and 17 and Bronx Community Boards 7 and 12 beginning in 2025.

According to the City Council, it has approved over 27,500 housing units, more than 50% of which is affordable, since 2022 through the land use process.