Photo Courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
“We are going to turn New York into a ‘City of Yes’ — yes in my backyard, yes on my block, yes in my neighborhood,” Mayor Adams said.
By Forum Staff
Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday laid out a plan to use the City’s zoning tools to support small businesses, create affordable housing, and promote sustainability — part of his vision for New York to become a more inclusive, equitable “City of Yes.”
The plan, announced this morning at the Association for a Better New York breakfast, includes three major citywide amendments: Zoning for Economic Opportunity, Zoning for Housing Opportunity, and Zoning for Zero Carbon; an effort to invest in and plan around emerging job hubs and commercial corridors in all five boroughs, starting in the Bronx; and initiatives to cut red tape and center equity in planning.
Adams said that his “City of Yes” plan follows his “Rebuild, Renew, Reinvent: A Blueprint for New York City’s Economic Recovery,” and comes ahead of the release of his housing plan.
The first citywide text amendment — Zoning for Economic Opportunity — will provide local businesses with the flexibility to repurpose their space for a post-pandemic city. This amendment will:
- Remove unnecessary geographic limitations on certain businesses, including life sciences, custom manufacturing, maker-retail, and nightlife;
- Eliminate obstacles to repurposing space, allowing the city’s businesses and economy to evolve over time; and
- Create flexibility for local businesses to expand without relocation and without triggering needs for additional parking.
The second citywide text amendment — Zoning for Housing Opportunity — will encourage the creation of more housing in neighborhoods across the entire city. This amendment will:
- Expand opportunities for affordable and supportive homes for New Yorkers by increasing the floor area ratio for all types of affordable housing, similar to the allowance already afforded to affordable housing for seniors;
- Broaden the acceptable variety of housing types and sizes, including studios, to accommodate a wider range of families and households;
- Ease conversions of underutilized commercial buildings into homes; and
- Reduce unnecessary parking requirements that add cost and take up space in buildings that could be used for additional homes.
The final citywide text amendment — Zoning for Zero Carbon — represents a critical step towards New York City reaching its carbon reduction goals. This amendment will:
- Remove obstacles to deploying new clean energy storage and uses, including electric vehicle charging;
- Facilitate building retrofits for sustainability, including allowing more rooftop coverage for solar panels; and
- Eliminate barriers to the electrification of building systems such as heat pumps or efficient HVAC systems.
“We are going to turn New York into a ‘City of Yes’ — yes in my backyard, yes on my block, yes in my neighborhood,” Adams said. “These proposals focused on economic recovery, affordable housing, and sustainability will remove red tape for small businesses, expand housing opportunities in every neighborhood, and accelerate the transition to our energy future. New Yorkers are not going to wait around while other cities and other countries sprint towards a post-pandemic world, and now we won’t have to.”
“The Adams administration is proposing a necessary update of our 1960s-era zoning code that will support New York’s transition to a digital economy and to a more livable and affordable city,” said Kathryn Wylde, president and CEO, Partnership for New York City. “This is a critically important undertaking.”
