Fern Gillespie
Mayor Eric Adams has a vision for a “City of Yes” for New York City. His plan includes “modernizing” New York City’s zoning regulations to support small businesses, create affordable housing, and promote sustainability. Our Time Press reached out to Brooklyn political leaders Charles Barron and Stefani Zinerman for their opinions on the “City of Yes.”
Former City Council Member and State Assembly Member Charles Barron has studied Mayor Adams’ 600-plus page “City of Yes” document and found a lot of generalizations. “This is the ‘City of Yes’ for rich white developers,” Barron told Our Time Press.
“This is the ‘City of No Plan’ for the residents and local leaders in Black and Brown communities. Because we will be disempowered by this plan.”
In The City of Yes, the mayor wants to change the zoning laws. “And right now,” said Barron, “the zoning laws say you can only build commercial on the ground floor of newly developed housing.”
“He wants to be able to go up to the third and fourth floors. That’s ridiculous. Can you imagine living in a building and the restaurant is above you?”
Currently, the City Council and local community boards have the ability to say no to developments that gentrify Black and Brown neighborhoods. “This plan would take that power away from the community’s ability to say no to land use projects that are gentrifying our neighborhoods,” Barron said.
“This plan continues to give all of the available city-owned land to rich white male developers in particular and not the community land trust. We need to give that land to the community so we can determine the housing destiny and the commercial destiny of our neighborhoods.”
Barron believes that Mayor Adams is not interested in Black and Brown neighborhoods that are in dire need of affordable housing.
“The intent of Mayor Adams’ plan is to tackle some of our most challenging issues of the day, especially housing and economic development. We need real commonsense solutions, which is why it is imperative that we conduct a thorough review of all policies to cure for any unintended consequences,” Brooklyn Assembly Member Stefani Zinerman told Our Time Press.
“I am in discussions with both Community Boards 3 and 8; our district’s merchant associations; small businesses, and other community members to develop collective recommendations that meet the needs of Bedford Stuyvesant and Crown Heights.”
Barron also told Our Time Press, “You can get dirt cheap land from the city and subsidies for free money from the city. When developers get free money, it’s subsidies,” he said. “When we get free money, it’s welfare.”
“The developers develop housing that’s not affordable to us. The City Council says that the housing has to be 25 percent affordable. That means that 75% is market value. That’s how Bed Stuy and Harlem are gentrified under these same kinds of plans.
“The “City of Yes” will make it easier for them to gentrify our neighborhood because the Mayor’s commitment is to the real estate industry and the Wall Street companies. More than to its struggling people. It’s the “City of Yes” plan for gentrifiers.”