Lawmakers are expected to vote on the rezoning later this week. A 22-item “Points of Agreement” package includes pledges to develop more affordable housing outside the rezoning area—on city-owned land at 388 Hudson St. and an NYPD parking lot at 324 East 5th St.—and outlines new rules for the neighborhoods’ unique artist residences.
The board’s resolution rejects the rezoning proposal for the wealthy neighborhoods outright, rather than submit suggestions for improvement, arguing the plan would fail to achieve the city’s affordable housing goals.
The MTA will add four new Metro North stations to the East Bronx as part of its Penn Station Access Initiative. The Department of City Planning is researching the best ways to develop the surrounding neighborhoods, and garnering public feedback.
‘Ensuring every New York City neighborhood has the same access and quality of life—whether you’re in Brownsville or the Upper West Side—will require a fair and comprehensive planning process.’
‘We cannot repeat the mistakes of the past, where recoveries after the Great Recession, the Sept. 11 attacks, and the early 90s recession exacerbated systemic inequities rather than addressing them. And the people to determine a new direction cannot be the same people who benefit the most from the status quo.’
A panel of appellate judges on Tuesday reversed an earlier injunction halting the contentious Two Bridges project — a major setback for Lower East Side community groups, which have been waging a legal battle against the city and developers.
‘The way in which land is rezoned in this city has subsequently made it difficult for many New Yorkers to find a home, let alone stay in their homes,’ Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who co-sponsored the bill, said at a hearing last week. Advocates expect the legislation to come before a full City Council vote by April of this year.
‘Time and time again, we have seen the concerns of community members come to fruition, as rezonings have led to rampant gentrification and displacement in working class communities of color across the city.’
‘The fact is that MIH is just bad policy. In New York City’s housing market, it mostly enriches developers and real estate speculators while inflicting real harm to the neighborhoods it’s supposed to help.’
Housing advocacy groups and some elected officials have been pushing for years for the city to adopt a comprehensive plan, and an earlier effort to do so was abandoned during the City Charter Revision process in 2019.