Corey Johnson says his ‘Planning Together’ proposal will help create a more just and inclusive city planning process. But others raised worries about the costs of the plan, and about how it would engage communities.
‘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.’
‘Across the city, the mayor and developers are pushing rezonings and development projects that attempt to rip out the fertile roots of people and place, to wholly redefine city neighborhoods for a wealthier and whiter population.’
The shift to remote-only civic meetings during the pandemic is impacting how communities get to weigh in on important city proposals, like rezonings. It’s led to more people attending — but there have also been problems, and criticism.
Just five councilmembers voted against the land use application for the project, which has drawn the ire of critics who say it doesn’t include nearly enough affordable housing.
Next year will mark a critical time for New York land use and housing policies, as the city faces a looming evictions crisis and the de Blasio administration will push to approve its final neighborhood rezonings.
The suit raises questions not just about one rezoning but also about the balance of power in New York over land-use policy.
An appeals court heard arguments over the annulled Inwood rezoning just days after activists sued over the approval process for the Flushing Waterfront plan.
The city’s Charter Revision Commission meets Tuesday to consider another batch of potential questions for the November ballot—including a measure related to how the city does its land-use planning.