April 8, 2024
Testimony Before the New York City Council: Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises
Re: Support for City of Yes for Economic Opportunity
Honorable members of the Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises, my name is Carlo Casa the Director of Policy and Research at the New York Building Congress, thank you for the opportunity to speak today.
The Building Congress represents over 500 constituent organizations and over 250,000 skilled tradespeople and professionals dedicated to the growth and prosperity of our city. We strongly express our support for the City of Yes for Economic Opportunity, a commonsense initiative that holds the potential to reshape the landscape of small businesses and commercial corridors across all five boroughs.
The post-pandemic shift in spending towards new residential economic hubs emphasizes the need for modern, sensible zoning reforms to support local businesses and improved services. Outdated, byzantine zoning laws fail to meet the modern needs of New York communities. To put it in perspective, the 1961 Zoning Resolution was eight whole years before Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon. Today, many businesses that were restricted then, can be done safely in office buildings, or in the home. Yet zoning rules restrict an interior decorator from holding a Zoom meeting in their living room, a small contractor from having a team meeting in his garage, or a state-of-the-art laboratory from taking over a vacant office building.
The City of Yes for Economic Opportunity is a necessary and long-overdue fix.
We support eliminating antiquated rules that dictate how a business’ own space can be used.
We support eliminating inflexible, arbitrary distinctions that restrict where certain types of businesses can be located.
And finally, we support simplifying and streamlining regulations that contribute to storefront vacancies, which do nothing to help New Yorkers.
This initiative makes it easier for businesses to flourish and it paves the way for companies to grow responsibly, including a provision that second story commercial space can’t displace residential use.
In closing, we urge you to support the City of Yes for Economic Opportunity. It is a carefully crafted policy to ensure that New York City remains a beacon of opportunity and innovation.
Thank you for your consideration.
