The Daily News
May 5, 2014
The plan, known as Housing New York, recognizes that mega developments can’t solve the housing crisis. Instead, the plan recognizes that the majority of New Yorkers live in smaller properties of 50 units or less in neighborhoods across the five boroughs.
By Rafael Cestero
At a time when the need for high-quality affordable housing in New York City’s neighborhoods is greater than ever, Mayor de Blasio’s proposal is a comprehensive approach to tackling our city’s affordability crisis.
Housing New York isn’t just a commitment to housing with no plan for execution. It details the staffing and capital commitment from the mayor’s budget to implement and financially support the plan for years to come.
While the city incorporated many innovative housing strategies into the proposal, a key component is the recognition that mega developments can’t solve the housing crisis.
Instead, Housing New York recognizes that the majority of New Yorkers live in smaller properties of 50 units or less in neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs.
In response, this plan includes two new programs to develop on small, vacant and scattered sites to maximize available land in our space-constrained city.
Additionally, the mayor took a stand by emphasizing the need to protect tenants from rent deregulation and incentivizing landlords to keep apartments in transitioning neighborhoods affordable for existing residents.
Protecting the smaller, privately owned properties that make up the majority of our multifamily housing stock from speculation is essential to ensuring more New Yorkers have access to homes they can afford.