At 11 this morning will be the regular semimonthly Wednesday meeting in open public session at 120 Broadway of the 13 members of the City Planning Commission.
However, what’s on today’s agenda is not at all regular, but extraordinary, as they will be voting on the biggest change ever to the city’s zoning rules. They must vote yes on the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal put forward by Mayor Adams.
The address is notable since 120 Broadway, built in 1915 as the Equitable Building before there were any zoning rules, went straight up 40 stories high covering the entire block from Broadway to Nassau St. and from Pine and Cedar Sts., blocking out the sunlight. More than any single property, it spurred the 1916 Zoning Resolution, the first zoning law in the country, which required setbacks on tall towers that we are all familiar with, such as on the Empire State Building.
Those were the rules for 45 years until they were replaced by the 1961 Zoning Resolution. Now, 63 years on, it’s long past time for another update, this time to produce more homes for New Yorkers.
Seven planning commissioners are appointed by the mayor, one by each borough president and one by the public advocate. Before them today is a comprehensive rewrite of zoning to allow for more desperately needed housing across all parts of the city.
One reform, as detailed in an adjacent op-ed published today, is legalizing accessory dwelling units like converted garages into apartments.
There will be greater density in every community, commensurate with a neighborhood’s existing character. Incentives will provide for more permanently affordable units. Retrofitting of unused post-COVID office space into homes will be easier. SROs will be making a welcome comeback. Religious institutions with available land will be able to construct housing. Outdated mandates for parking for cars will be eliminated. All of it is needed, and more.
Under the law, the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), the initial proposal from April has been reviewed by 59 Community Boards; 18 boards have voted yes to the full package and 36 have said no, with five others either not acting or splitting on the various ideas. But those votes are not binding, and neither are the votes of the five borough presidents, all except Staten Island, saying yes.
Today, after Planning Department staff presents modifications to the April language, a binding vote of the 13 commissioners will be held. With the mayor’s seven appointees and four BPs in support, passage seems assured. Excellent. A few days from now the package will be formally submitted to the City Council, which must have a committee vote within 50 days.
The Council can modify the proposals and they probably will, but the core objectives must be persevered. New York City is a successful venture and it is still growing. We have to make room for our future. The first zoning resolution lasted for 45 years, the current rules have been in place for 63 years.
The mayor, the Planning Commission and the Council are now writing the housing rules that will allow the city to flourish for ourselves and our children.
