New York – (RealEstateRama) — “With the passage of the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) and Zoning for Quality and Affordability (ZQA) proposals, all New Yorkers can now rest assured that our city will continue to be the ‘Mecca’ for economic opportunities, cultural enrichments and ethnic diversity, not only for those who presently live and work here but for the anticipated millions of new residents, migrants and visitors coming to this great metropolis in the next decade. By passing MIH and ZQA, we have taken an important first step in meeting the huge demand for affordable, low income and supportive housing, thus avoiding a looming housing crisis for the middle, working class and poor citizens of this city.
We are especially pleased that these measures will adequately service our seniors and will broaden the reach to lower income residents. To their credit, with the passage of these changes, the Mayor and the City Council are also spurring growth and success such as encouraging contract procurement opportunities for MWBE developers and construction contractors and providing jobs for thousands of local community members,” said Peter Fontances, Chair Emeritus, New York Association of Hispanics in Real Estate and Construction.
“New York City’s newly passed Mandatory Inclusionary Housing and Zoning for Quality and Affordability plans are the most ambitious in the country, and we applaud Mayor de Blasio, the City Planning Commission and the City Council for their tireless commitment to affordable housing,” said Judi Kende, Vice President and New York Market Leader, Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. “These plans represent significant steps toward addressing the housing insecurity crisis in New York and establishing a new baseline threshold for affordable housing in a variety of neighborhoods. They are just two of many solutions needed in order to keep New York a city of opportunity for all.”
“The commitment by Mayor de Blasio and HPD to the creation of affordable housing just passed a major hurdle with the support of Speaker Mark-Viverito and the Council,” said Sydelle Knepper, CEO of SKA Marin. “Now it is our job to take this opportunity to produce that housing affordable to poor, working, senior and vulnerable New Yorkers for the betterment of our entire city.”
“We applaud Mayor de Blasio, Speaker Mark-Viverito and the City Council for accomplishing this historic effort to address New York City’s affordable housing crisis,” said Jolie Milstein, President & CEO of the New York State Association for Affordable Housing (NYSAFAH). “The MIH program is a powerful new engine to create low-, moderate- and middle-income housing, and it was smartly designed to be economically viable and achievable in all five boroughs. The ZQA program will build on that effort by providing more affordable senior housing and quality ground-floor retail options in neighborhoods across the city. We are proud to work with the de Blasio administration and the City Council to continue making our city a more affordable place for all New Yorkers.”
“With the passage of sweeping zoning reforms which will mandate affordable housing in upzonings and make more efficient use of each available site, the de Blasio administration has made huge strides towards achieving their goal of combatting the affordable housing crisis in New York City. Layer on the significant capital plan and we are well positioned to address housing inequality,” said Rachel Fee Executive Director, New York Housing Conference.
CONTACT: pressoffice (at) cityhall.nyc (dot) gov, (212) 788-2958
