City Planning Commission Says Yes to Housing

Today marks an important step in the process to pass City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, with the City Planning Commission voting to approve the proposal. The proposed citywide zoning text amendment takes an all-of-the-above approach, making critical changes to the city’s zoning to eliminate antiquated barriers that restrict development and burden our already struggling housing market, enabling every neighborhood to do their part in building affordable housing. AIA New York is a strong supporter of the proposal, specifically the transit-oriented development, universal affordability preference, and office-to-residential conversion proposals. 

The City Planning Commission approved four proposed modifications to the proposal:

1. Exempt public housing campuses from the proposal to eliminate obstacles to contextual development on zoning lots with existing buildings. It was determined that public housing campuses already have an effective path through federal government rules to contextual infill. This change was made in response to public comments. 
   
2. Eliminate sunset provision for offsite UAP in R10 areas. This change was made in response to feedback from affordable housing developers who rely on the offsite program to support affordable housing production, and concerns from the industry that sunset provisions would reduce affordable housing development in high density areas over time. The proposed modification would eliminate the 10-year time limit on the ability of new affordable housing to generate offsite bonus for use in R10 districts and R10 equivalents only.
    
3. Limit distance between building relief on zoning lots with existing buildings to new contextual developments on those zoning lots. Any new non-contextual developments will remain subject to existing 60-foot distance between buildings, rather than the 40-foot standard in the Multiple Dwelling Law that DCP has proposed to extend to other zoning lots with existing buildings when they are contextual developments.

4. Vested developments that have filed for building permits by the date of enactment of City of Yes for Housing Opportunity and that receive DOB zoning approval within a year and HPD approval, if relevant, within two years. This change gives vested projects the ability to choose between using old or new zoning.  

Now, the proposal is headed to the City Council for review and vote. Look out for more information on the City Council hearing in the coming weeks.