Testimony Before the New York City Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises in Support of City of Yes for Housing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 22, 2024  

Re: Support for the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity (LU 0181-2024) 

 Good morning Chair Riley and Council Members, and thank you for the opportunity to speak to the Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises in support of this historic initiative. My name is Megan Wylie and I am the Director of Government Relations at the New York Building Congress.  

The Building Congress represents over 500 constituent organizations and over 250,000 skilled tradespeople and professionals across the industry dedicated to the growth and prosperity of our city. We strongly express our support for the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, a groundbreaking initiative that directly addresses our housing crisis by incentivizing rational and effective reforms to build a little more in every neighborhood.  

 The City of Yes is reasonable, flexible, and long overdue. It incorporates critical community input from over 175 community board meetings, and ensures that no neighborhood is being disproportionately burdened. We applaud the Department of City Planning’s commitment to recognizing the varying needs of New Yorkers from across the borough and while we understand concerns still remain, we look forward to their continued outreach. 

We are confident that this multipronged approach will make significant strides towards ensuring every New Yorker has a place to call home. By permitting Accessory Dwelling Units, streamlining commercial to residential conversion projects, and allowing smaller-scall housing to be built above storefronts, City of Yes has the potential to create over 100,000 much-needed new homes. On top of the benefits to the housing market, ADUs are incredible opportunities for homeowners and families. With this initiative, homeowners will have the chance to earn a significant additional income by renting out unused garage or basement units, or help their older family members and young adults stay close to home.  

Furthermore, City of Yes also removes outdated parking mandates which, today, increase the cost of housing construction by roughly $100,000 per parking space. To be clear, the proposal does not ban developers from building parking, but allows for more flexibility, so that project managers can best meet the needs of each unique site, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. In many areas of New York City, vastly more individuals rely on public transit than cars, and more than 54% of all households are car-free. This number increases to 76.6% in Manhattan, and 56.5% in Brooklyn. The simple truth: this translates to more affordable housing for New Yorkers.  

This proposal also promotes Transit-Oriented Development, a policy we have long advocated for in rezonings across New York City. By legalizing 3-5 story apartment buildings near new and existing public transit stations in low density residence districts, we will be increasing economic growth for local communities and ensuring convenient home opportunities for individuals who commute to Manhattan.  Complimenting new stations with housing is not just good for the environment and our commutes—it’s common sense.  

I urge you to support this bold step to a future where every New Yorker has access to affordable, quality housing. Let’s make it clear that New York says ‘yes’ to innovation, ‘yes’ to responsible city planning, and ‘yes’ to housing opportunities for all. 

This is our moment to use zoning as a tool, rather than an obstacle, to meet the needs of New Yorkers today.  

Thank you for your consideration.