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New York City could be on the verge of a major shift in its approach to residential development. On Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams announced on that New York City may soon see the end of a longstanding requirement that mandates the inclusion of parking spaces in new residential constructions. This change is part of a broader zoning text amendment initially looked over by the mayor last June. This is meant to significantly boost housing development across the city. The full details of the proposal were created, creating a multi-step review process next spring, which ultimately requires approval from the City Council.
While the city does not have the authority to modify tax incentives to encourage development, it can enact zoning reforms. The proposed amendment seeks to update citywide zoning regulations that have dictated the construction of homes since 1961. “We cannot have a city where the shelter system is how we are defined,” Mayor Adams stated in a presentation at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, attended by an audience of advocates and politicians. New York City’s current parking mandates goes back to the 1950s where new residential development include off-street parking. Typically, due to the city’s space constraints, these parking facilities are constructed underground, significantly increasing construction costs: a factor critics argue contributes to higher rents. Exceptions to these parking minimums currently exist predominantly in much of Manhattan and near subway entrances throughout the city. However, the rest of New York City generally adheres to these regulations, with requirements varying from a one-to-one ratio of parking spaces to housing units to 40 percent of the unit total. Additionally, the new “City of Yes” proposal introduces a 20 percent density bonus for developers constructing affordable housing, though details about the specific income criteria for tenants remain unclear. This initiative draws inspiration from the Affordable Independent Residences for Seniors (AIRS) program, which promotes housing development in densely populated areas.
The proposed amendment includes a provision to legalize the addition of apartment units up to 800 square feet in one and two-family homes, potentially encouraging the creation of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in areas like garages, attics, backyards, and basements. However, these conversions can be costly, with a 2019 pilot program in East New York revealing that compliance with the state’s Multiple Dwelling Law could drive the cost of converting a basement to nearly $1 million. Attempts to reform this law during this year’s state legislative session did not succeed. “This pilot was a crucial first step in exploring how accessory dwelling units can expand affordable housing options throughout the city,” said Adolfo Carrión Jr., commissioner of Housing Preservation and Development for the Adams Administration. “[ADU] aims to create a little more housing in every neighborhood, providing more New Yorkers with safe, affordable, and stable homes.”
Amid a trend where job growth in New York City has outstripped housing production, 800,000 jobs added in the decade before the COVID-19 pandemic versus just 200,000 homes, Mayor Adams is fighting to reverse this imbalance. The DCP estimates that the zoning text amendment could facilitate the creation of 100,000 new housing units. “Every neighborhood has a role to play in solving our housing affordability crisis, but many parts of Manhattan with the best access to jobs and transit in the nation have added little or no housing opportunities in the last decade,” commented Annemarie Gray, executive director of the pro-development group Open New York, after the announcement. “Reforming these outdated rules will pave the way for the City to create more affordable opportunities.”
Her organization had also supported a statewide policy last year proposed by Governor Kathy Hochul that mandated increased development across the state. This proposal faced significant opposition and ultimately did not pass. “We need an approach that also recognizes that you need protections for tenants that are facing problems right now,” Gray mentioned, endorsing a Good Cause Eviction proposal in Albany that seeks to expand eviction defenses and limit steep rent increases. The zoning amendment would also relax restrictions making it challenging for entities like the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), churches, and schools to utilize their existing building rights. For instance, it would eliminate a rule preventing construction if any older buildings on a campus exceed height limits. Additionally, the amendment encourages the development of small apartments with shared kitchens and bathrooms and would allow for increased building height on low-density commercial areas within walking distance to public transit. City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams agreed, stating how “The affordability levels in the new text for the Zoning for Housing Opportunity (ZHO) better reflect the growing need for prioritizing deeper affordability, and I welcome these changes.:
The housing crisis in New York City is particularly severe for the lowest-income renters. According to the 2021 Housing and Vacancy Survey, less than 1 percent of all apartments priced below $1,500 per month are vacant, the lowest rate observed since 1991. Carrión of HPD noted that his department is actively working to develop more affordable housing targeted at the lower end of the income spectrum, although details are still being finalized. Currently, HPD-funded developments cater to households earning up to 30 percent of the AMI at the low end. “Every New Yorker deserves an affordable place to call home, and we are working tirelessly to ensure that this is possible everywhere in New York City,” he mentioned. “The new developments in Bushwick, East New York, Hell’s Kitchen, and Stapleton Heights will be valuable additions to each of these communities, and we are excited to welcome these new affordable homes!”
I like this weblog so much, saved to my bookmarks.
Thank you!!
I actually really like this idea because all the articles I’ve read are about affordable housing and the lack of and not a whole lot about parking, so it makes sense for us to give up some parking space for housing
The thing is this whole thing sounds like a classic NYC problem. Policies designed with Manhattan in mind, but what about the outer boroughs? Parking minimums might not be an issue in parts of Manhattan, but in Queens or Staten Island, where public transit is unreliable, they matter a lot more
Wait, I did not know “less than 1 percent of all apartments priced below $1,500 per month are vacant. ” That explains a lot as to why so many people are homeless. We need to step up our game
thank you so much for adding in the quotes; it’s very helpful and you link them so we can access the entire conversation
Of course!
As a low-income dad with an apartment, I can attest that rent is rising drastically and it sucks. Soon, we might have to move to a cheaper apartment and our apartment right now is already small enough
Yes! this is very common. Just last month, my land owner said prices has increased by another hundred dollars.
the main thing that I’m fearing is that the city says it wants to build 100,000 units, but will these actually be affordable or just more luxury apartments? Developers might build what makes them the most money, not what working-class New Yorkers need
800,000 jobs yet only 200,000 homes… I get that jobs are probably easier to create than homes, but the numbers should be closer together
I mean your point makes sense but I think 800000 to 300000 would make more sense
We should for sure promotes housing development in densely populated areas because those areas are needed the most. Also, densely populated areas have a lot of homeless population so that would help them too
this is smart but there might be a lot of people complaining about it who lives there
imagine just seeing someone in your neighborhood building another house over your apartment…I would be in shock
lol same
It’s been over 70 years since we had an updated parking mandates, so I do think that as our population have been growing, we should change the mandates
this is still a top-down approach. where is the community input? I think the local residents need a voice
Yeah, there might be local resistance which can slow down new development. They need to have the right to share their opinions
I did not know how parking facilities are constructed underground. How does that work?
yeah, I never understood this either. Why would we bother creating it underground when it’s more expensive?
^^
One of the reason is because underground parking are more and can increase parking capacity especially for large stores like Costco, where they tend to get a lot of customers
Ohh that makes sense. Every time I drive to Costco I really like the underground mood.
Parking minimums have been a massive barrier to housing affordability for years so the fact that underground parking drives up construction costs is something people don’t think about enough. Glad the city is finally acknowledging and doing something about this
I agree but the city can upzone all it wants, but if landlords can still evict tenants without reason, then none of this really helps stabilize housing
I really like how there is a “20 percent density bonus for developers constructing affordable housing” because it actually incentives them to do it. Awesome plan!
I appreciate that this article brings up Good Cause Eviction, because increasing housing supply is only half the equation. If there’s no protection for tenants facing displacement, all these new units won’t stop people from being priced out.
wait wait so NYCHA, churches, and schools being allowed to use their existing building rights more easily is an interesting piece of this. Does that mean we might see more affordable housing on church properties?
The article does a great job explaining what’s in the proposal, but I would love to hear more from tenants who are directly impacted. For example, some questions you could answer are like : What do people in NYCHA think about these changes? What do renters say about whether this will help or hurt them?
Thank you! I’ll try to get more interviews when writing these articles
Of course and best of luck!
The housing crisis stats in this piece are wild. 800,000 jobs added vs. 200,000 homes built before COVID? No wonder rents are so high. The city is way overdue for zoning reforms, but this still feels like a partial fix rather than a real solution
at least we are trying to fix it. we need a solution that will sustain itself and then we can look for a long term solution
YES IM SO GLAD WE ARE FINALLY DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THIS YAYYYY
low-key im curious about the climate impact. If we’re reducing parking minimums and increasing density, how will this align with NYC’s sustainability goals?
hm I would think that it would be better for the climate because less parking means less people are using cars and more public transportation