The Manhattan Borough Board today voted against Zoning for Quality & Affordability and Mandatory Inclusionary Housing, Mayor de Blasio’s twin zoning proposals aimed at creating more affordable housing.
The borough board is made up of the chairpersons of each community board and members of the City Council. The vote was 12-0 with four abstentions. The resolution detailed several improvements that would need to be made in the plans in order for the group to offer its support.
In a statement, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer said:
I hope the roadmap set out by our Manhattan Borough Board today will lead to major changes in the Zoning for Quality & Affordability and Mandatory Inclusionary Housing plans… I’m glad the administration has finally begun taking our concerns seriously, but these plans need major changes before we can accept them.
Zoning for Quality & Affordability would change building guidelines throughout the city, including building height. Mandatory Inclusionary Housing would trigger at least 25% affordable housing in new projects located within newly rezoned neighborhoods. Local activists believe many of the changes amount to a giveaway to real estate developers without much in return. The borough board wants smaller increases in height limits than the mayor proposed, assurances that new senior housing would be permanently affordable, lower income eligibility guidelines, among other modifications. More details will be available here later today.
Community Board 3, which covers the Lower East Side, rejected the proposals last week. While the borough board’s recommendations aren’t binding, the City Council must approve the zoning text amendments before they are implemented.
