Lawmakers praise, pass de Blasio’s rezoning plan after protesters cleared from chambers

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has heralded two zoning proposals now bound for his desk as “landmark” pieces of legislation that will accelerate his administration’s efforts to ease the pressures of gentrification.

“New York City is not the only city struggling with an affordable housing crisis, but it is the only one to pass a plan that will benefit half a million low-to-moderate income people, build and preserve over 200,000 affordable housing apartments and require developers to build affordable housing,” de Blasio said in a statement. “Years from now, when working-class families and seniors are living soundly in their homes without fear of being priced out, we will look back on this as a pivotal moment when we turned the tide to keep our city a place for ALL New Yorkers.”

The City Council passed the zoning legislation at a Tuesday meeting, where many lawmakers echoed de Blasio’s portrayal of the measures as historic and game-changing. But as City Councilwoman Margaret Chin launched into a description of why she was backing the “visionary” proposals, about two dozen protesters on a balcony overlooking the Council Chambers started yelling, with some suggesting the legacy the lawmakers’ votes would usher in would be one of displacement.

It took security several minutes to remove the demonstrators. City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito called a recess because one of the protesters lay on the floor, requesting medical aid. The vote continued when an ambulance arrived and paramedics began tending to the man.

A spokeswoman for the City Council said six of the protesters, including the man who was suffering from a back spasm, appeared to have superglued their hands together, which made it difficult for security to remove them from the chambers. The spokeswoman said none were charged with a crime after interrupting the meeting chanting “Vote no; MIH has got to go,” in reference to the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing zoning plan, and calling the lawmakers “sellouts.” One particularly vocal man shouted, “This plan that you’re talking about is going to evict the same people in this city that elected you. … How dare the Progressive Caucus do this?”

Most council members, however, backed the measures, with several expressing confidence they would lead to more economically integrated communities. The council passed Mandatory Inclusionary Housing – which would allow for larger residential developments in future rezonings, but require that a portion of the new housing be permanently affordable – 42 to 5, with council members Inez Barron, Joe Borelli, Barry Grodenchik, Steven Matteo and Jumaane Williams opposing it. Barron expressed concerns that the measure would not do enough to provide housing for homeless New Yorkers, and Williams said that it may allow some communities to remain economically segregated because the proposal can be implemented using four templates: Although the administration and local council member will pick which option is used, half of the templates only target families earning an average of 60 percent of the area median income – $36,300 for a single person – or more.

“It’s a very good plan for those of us that welcome low-income units into our communities, but there is no mandate for those who have historically rejected low-income units,” Williams said.

The second proposal, Zoning for Quality and Affordability – which promotes creating a spectrum of homes for seniors and mixed-income developments near transit access points – passed 40 to 6, with council members Paul Vallone, Andrew Cohen, Barron, Borelli, Grodenchik and Matteo voting no and with Councilwoman Rosie Mendez abstaining. Grodenchik told City & State that he grew up in public housing and did not oppose affordable housing, but that community boards and civic groups in his district were against the measures in part because they spent years finessing the local zoning and worry those changes will now be reversed. Matteo also said his district’s distinct needs were not reflected in what he called a “one-size-fits all approach.”

Mark-Viverito, City Councilman David Greenfield, who chairs the Land Use Committee, and City Councilman Donovan Richards Jr., who chairs the Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises, emphasized that the council spent months studying the proposals and heard more than 20 hours of testimony on the rezoning plans. Council members heard from residents who feared the income levels targeted by the initial proposal were not low enough to prevent gentrification in some communities, and they said the council responded by adding a fourth template to the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing proposal that would require developers to reserve 20 percent of a building for families earning 40 percent of the area median income. The council also added tiers to two of the other MIH options so that at least a portion of units must be set aside for lower-income families than initially proposed.

Besides altering the targeted income levels, the administration agreed to convene a working group that will develop a “certificate of no harassment” policy aimed at preventing displacement by requiring landlords to verify no tenants were harassed before being allowed to proceed with redevelopment or construction plans. De Blasio’s team also agreed to study ways to house more lower-income people as specific areas are rezoned, which the Real Affordability for All coalition sought, as well as the use of state-approved apprenticeship programs and local hiring provisions on construction sites, which construction unions called for. City Hall also said it would discuss subsidy reform with unions and other stakeholders.

When it comes to the Zoning for Quality and Affordability framework, the council pushed to have the minimum apartment size for senior facilities set at 325 square feet, instead of the 275 square feet initially put forward. The council also mapped out changes to the transit zones, where the proposal would no longer require affordable housing developments to include parking spaces, and outlined areas that will still require special permits for the construction of nursing homes because the communities already have several of them.

“We throw around the word ‘historic’ a lot,” Greenfield said. “In the world of politics, it’s sort of what we do. I really don’t want to understate this. We rezone this city on average every 50 years. This is the 100th year of the zoning in the city of New York. This is a historic day that will have an impact on New Yorkers and their lives for decades to come.”