Mayor Adams Signs Bill To Create Fair Housing Framework For More Equitable Housing Production

December 13, 2023

Video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAkO6BRml_s

Intro. 1031-A Establishes Housing Production Targets for Each Community District, Assessment of Community Housing Needs

New York – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today took another action to create and maintain more affordable housing across the five boroughs by signing legislation that establishes a "Fair Housing Framework." The new law helps to ensure that every neighborhood plays an equitable role in addressing the city's housing crisis through community district-level housing production targets and an assessment of unique community housing needs. The bill was sponsored by New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and will be a critical tool in the administration's continued efforts to combat the housing and affordability crisis, as well as to address systemic inequities in housing production. 

"For far too long, government has let restrictive laws and zoning rules keep us from building the housing New Yorkers need," said Mayor Adams. "I am proud to stand side-by-side with Speaker Adams to fight the factors that have contributed to housing discrimination and inequality – together with our 'City of Yes' plan, the Fair Housing Framework will help right some of the great wrongs of our city's history. I look forward to our continued partnership with Speaker Adams and the City Council to fight the city's untenable housing and affordability crisis."

"Today is a historic day, with my Fair Housing Framework being signed into law, providing another tool to help the city confront our housing crisis through bold and equitable solutions that ensure every community contributes to housing production," said Speaker Adrienne Adams. "My Fair Housing Framework legislation will help create a plan that is a foundation for building and preserving housing, prioritizing affordability, and improving access to neighborhood investments and resources. By setting the expectation that every community must help address the housing crisis, the law will establish an important tool of transparency and accountability for solving our housing crisis. I thank my council colleagues, advocates, and labor unions for their strong support of this critical legislation, and Mayor Adams for signing it into law."

"This legislation recognizes a simple truth: To build the housing we need, every community must do its part," said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer. "Delivering on the promise of this bill will require bold action at every level of government. But with the leadership of Mayor Adams, Speaker Adams, and our partners in the City Council, we can meet this generation-defining challenge."

"Mayor Adams' and Speaker Adams' leadership in getting the Fair Housing Framework bill across the finish line demonstrates our strong alignment and commitment to tackling the housing crisis with fairness and equity front and center," said New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner (HPD) Adolfo Carrión Jr. "By pairing the fair housing assessment plan and strategic equity framework for each community district with the mayor's proposed zoning changes aimed at adding new housing everywhere across the city, we will ensure every neighborhood is part of the solution to our affordable housing crisis."

"New York's uneven and insufficient housing production has failed to meet New Yorkers' needs for too long, increasing housing costs and displacement pressure in some neighborhoods while others produce virtually no housing," said New York City Department of City Planning (DCP) Director and City Planning Commission Chair Dan Garodnick. "I commend Mayor Adams, Speaker Adams and the City Council on their commitment to addressing this pressing issue and look forward to working with them as we continue to advance zoning and land use solutions to create a more affordable, integrated city."

"NYCHA understands the importance of affordable housing in New York City," said New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. "We applaud the work that our city partners are doing as they continue to expand housing opportunities for low- and middle-income New Yorkers and build more inclusive communities throughout the distinct and diverse neighborhoods that comprise the five boroughs."

Intro. 1031-A requires HPD and DCP to work with other relevant agencies to create a citywide fair housing assessment and strategic equity framework every five years, exploring the obstacles the city must overcome to achieve housing stability and reach the city's fair housing goals. The city will produce an assessment of long-term citywide housing needs, five-year housing production targets for each community district, and a strategic equity framework that will report on the obstacles and strategies for achieving them. The plan will also focus on the production and preservation of affordable housing, anti-displacement resources, and neighborhood investments for underserved communities.

The Fair Housing Framework builds on the administration's robust efforts to promote fair housing practices, such as HPD's elimination of credit checks for New Yorkers selected for affordable housing and progress in executing its comprehensive "Where We Live NYC" fair housing plan, which is expected to be updated in 2025. In September, the administration also released a historic "City of Yes for Housing Opportunity" proposal to build "a little more housing in every neighborhood" through the most significant pro-housing reforms in the history of the city's zoning code. 

"Every community across the five boroughs should allow the development of affordable housing, and we applaud the council and mayor for codifying this principle in law," said Jolie Milstein, president and CEO, New York State Association for Affordable Housing. "This is an important milestone in the effort to get binding, pro-housing legislation passed at the state level."

"We applaud Mayor Eric Adams for signing Speaker Adrienne Adams's Fair Housing Framework. This legislation will help address the housing shortage and ensure every neighborhood is adding housing," said Rachel Fee, executive director, New York Housing Conference. "By setting neighborhood targets for housing this legislation will hold the administration and City Council members accountable to addressing our need for affordable housing and sharing the work across the city."

"The path to victory in solving our housing crisis is through an equitable approach that doesn't place the burden on any one community, but turns it into a citywide affair," said Aaron Carr, founder and executive director, Housing Rights Initiative. "Citywide problems require citywide solutions, and that is why we are proud to support the Fair Housing Framework Bill."

"Thank you to Speaker Adams, the City Council, and the Adams administration for signing into law the Fair Housing Framework. Implementing targets for more equitable development is an important first step towards meeting our housing needs in every neighborhood in New York City," said Annemarie Gray, executive director, Open New York. "Making good on these values means doing even more next year. We look forward to working together on the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity initiative and the state legislative session to make sure every level of government is using its full powers to ensure all communities are part of the solution to making New York fair and affordable for all."

"We are pleased that the city has enacted the Fair Housing Framework. We look forward to working with the City Council and agencies to ensure that tangible steps are taken to affirmatively further fair housing and to eliminate the pervasive housing discrimination that continues to exist, including elimination of blanket bans that exclude individuals with a criminal legal history," said Elizabeth Grossman, executive director, Fair Housing Justice Center, Inc.