Mayor Adams Announces Citywide Day of Action to Educate New Yorkers on Historic Affordable Housing Proposal

October 29, 2024

Over 100 Senior Administration Officials and Government Staffers Visit All Five Boroughs to Educate New Yorkers on City of Yes for Housing Opportunity

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced a citywide day of action to educate everyday New Yorkers on the "City of Yes for Housing Opportunity," a historic zoning proposal to enable the creation of a "little more housing in every neighborhood." Over 100 senior administration officials and staffers across city government distributed educational materials, answered questions, and informed New Yorkers on the City of Yes for Opportunity proposal across all five boroughs. As New York City faces a generational housing crisis with just a 1.4 percent rental vacancy rate, the proposal would allow for the creation of up to 108,850 new homes over the next 15 years.

"All throughout the five boroughs, New Yorkers are experiencing firsthand the impact of a generational housing crisis. However, there is relief in sight, thanks to our 'City of Yes for Housing Opportunity' proposal," said Mayor Adams. "To spread the word and help educate New Yorkers, our dedicated public servants are hitting the streets to explain how a little more housing in every neighborhood can play a crucial role in making a difference. Together, we can build our way out of the housing crisis — and that starts with saying 'yes' to City of Yes."

"Our dedicated civil servants have fanned out citywide during this day of action to educate New Yorkers about City of Yes and the vital role it will play in creating affordability citywide," said First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer. "We believe that through this effort, even more New Yorkers will join the four borough presidents, the City Planning Commission, nearly 150 advocacy groups in the 'Yes to Housing' coalition, the AARP, more than 20 LGBTQ+ organizations, 18 Community Boards, and 72 percent of New York voters who approve of City of Yes."

"We are advancing a citywide plan that addresses our housing crisis by making it possible to build a little bit more housing in every neighborhood. That's why we're bringing the proposal to all five boroughs through this day of action," said New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) Director and City Planning Commission (CPC) Chair Dan Garodnick. "If every neighborhood plays its part, we can build a more affordable, inclusive, and equitable city for all. We look forward to meeting and talking with New Yorkers throughout the city about this critically important proposal." 

"Inclusive engagement means ensuring that New Yorkers are equipped with the information they need to understand the policy changes that affect them, especially on the pressing challenges of housing," said Acting New York City Chief Engagement Officer Crystal Price. "'City of Yes for Housing Opportunity' is a collaborative effort to remove the barriers that are holding back housing growth. I am excited to support this initiative that brings together city agencies to inform New Yorkers of our plans to tackle the housing crisis and build a New York where everyone can thrive." 

"Our staff at the Public Engagement Unit works every day to help New Yorkers access a wide range of housing-related resources — from programs like Rent Freeze, which allows income-eligible seniors to freeze their rent, to the Tenant Helpline, which supports those with questions or who are in crisis," said New York City Public Engagement Unit Executive Director Adrienne Lever. "What we hear time and again from the New Yorkers we serve is that today's solutions aren't enough to address the challenges caused by historically low vacancy rates. While PEU continues to distribute resources today, the City of Yes rezoning proposal is a major step forward in reshaping New York City's housing landscape for tomorrow."

New York City Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Adolfo Carrion Jr. talking to everyday New Yorkers about City of Yes at Grand Concourse in the Bronx

DCP Director Dan Garodnick and PEU volunteers in Harlem, Manhattan educating New Yorkers on City of Yes.

The Adams administration has prioritized educating New Yorkers and answering questions on City of Yes for Housing Opportunity during every step of the approval process. Last month, the CPC approved the proposal following an extensive public review process, including over 175 Community Board meetings, 10 public information sessions, a CPC hearing in which a majority of speakers testified in favor of the proposal, and more. The proposal also received favorable recommendations from Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards.  

Since the start of his administration, Mayor Adams has made record investments towards creating and preserving affordable housing. In July, Mayor Adams announced back-to-back record breaking years in both creating and connecting New Yorkers to affordable housing. In June, the Adams administration delivered an on-time, balanced, and fiscally-responsible $112.4 billion Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Adopted Budget that invests $2 billion in capital funds across FY25 and FY26 to HPD and the New York City Housing Authority's capital budgets. In total, the Adams administration has committed a record $26 billion in housing capital in the current 10-year plan as the city faces a generational housing crisis. This spring, thanks to Mayor Adams' vision and leadership, the city celebrated the largest 100 percent affordable housing project in 40 years with the Willets Point Transformation. 

Further, the Adams administration is using every tool available to address the city's housing crisis. Mayor Adams announced multiple new tools, including a $4 million state grant, to help New York City homeowners create accessory dwelling units that will not only help them to afford to remain in the communities they call home, but also to build generational wealth for their families. 

City volunteers, including Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi, canvassing for City of Yes at the Staten Island Ferry.

Deputy Mayor of Strategic Initiatives Ana Almanzar handing out literature on City of Yes in Downtown Brooklyn

This year, Mayor Adams and members of the administration successfully advocated for new tools in the 2024 New York state budget that will spur the creation of urgently needed housing. These tools include a new tax incentive for multifamily rental construction, a tax incentive program to encourage office conversions to create more affordable units, lifting the arbitrary "floor-to-area ratio" cap that held back affordable housing production in certain high-demand areas of the city, and the ability to create a pilot program to legalize and make safe basement apartments.  

Under Mayor Adams' leadership, the city is fulfilling its 2024 State of the City commitment to build more affordable housing, including being ahead of schedule on advancing two dozen affordable housing projects on city-owned land this year through the "24 in '24" initiative, reopening the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program waitlist after being closed to general applications for nearly 15 years, and creating the Tenant Protection Cabinet to coordinate across agencies to better serve tenants. The city has also taken several steps to cut red tape and speed up the delivery of much-needed housing, including through the "Green Fast Track for Housing," a streamlined environmental review process for qualifying small- and medium-sized housing projects; the "Office Conversion Accelerator," an interagency effort to guide buildings that wish to convert through city bureaucracy; and other initiatives of the Building and Land Use Approval Streamlining Taskforce. 

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