City Council has approved Mayor de Blasio's housing plan, paving the way for a series of rezonings across New York City that aim to build and maintain 200,000 units of affordable housing by 2024. The City Council today voted strongly to approve Zoning for Quality and Affordability (ZQA) and Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH), two cornerstones of the mayor's Housing New York strategy, after some significant changes intended to increase the number of affordable units available to a wider swath of city residents (h/t DNAinfo).
The approval doesn't come as a surprise. The council was expected to pass the proposals following their adjustments, but still not everyone's happy about it. In a statement issued by his office, Bronx Borough President Rubin Diaz Jr. calls the approval an "encouraging step in the right direction" but still chides the policies for not going as far to assist the low-income community as hoped. The New York State Association For Affordable Housing applauds the programs and their commitment to socioeconomic diversity. NYMag calls the zoning overhaul the most sweeping since 1961.
ZQA as adopted will allow for taller buildings in exchange for more affordable housing, including affordable senior housing. MIH calls for the creation of a set amount of permanent affordable housing at some new developments. A more thorough breakdown of the proposals can be found here.
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