CAMPAIGNS
Open New York fights for abundant housing and fairer neighborhoods — and wins
Passage of “City of Yes for Housing Opportunity”: A Historic Victory
Open New York members showed up and made their voices heard to help pass a transformative plan that will bring much-needed new homes across every neighborhood in New York City.
“City of Yes” will unlock over 80,000 new homes across eight initiatives that touch every neighborhood in NYC, marking the first significant citywide pro-housing win in a generation. This victory came after months of sustained grassroots organizing, including a record-length City Planning Commission hearing and a marathon City Council session where pro-housing voices made history by forming the majority.
At dozens of community board meetings across all five boroughs, supporters stood up for more homes—sometimes as part of a crowd, other times as lone voices calling for change. Even during moments of political turmoil, our advocates remained focused on the mission.
Through emails, phone calls, in-district meetings, and rallies at City Hall, Open New York members made sure that City Council members understood the importance of this moment. Our efforts made the difference in getting this done!
Building pro-housing momentum across New York for over seven years
After years of contentious debate and NIMBY opposition, the Arrow Linen project in Windsor Terrace was approved by the City Council in winter of 2025—a major win for housing in one of Brooklyn’s most well-resourced neighborhoods. The project will bring 250 new homes, including 100 income-restricted homes, to a community that hasn’t built a single new income-restricted home affordable to low-income families in over 15 years. This means hundreds of people will gain access to stable homes and new opportunities.
Starting in 2023, our members' persistent, strategic advocacy helped ensure this victory—canvassing, speaking up at community board meetings, collecting petitions, making videos, and writing in their support.
This kind of project—dense, mixed-income, mixed-use, without parking, and in a neighborhood near transit and parks—is exactly the type of development New York City needs more of. It’s just one of several wins our members have driven forward. In neighborhoods across the city, Open New York members have been organizing for rezoning proposals and pro-housing projects that open up access and create new homes in high-opportunity areas.
In SoHo/NoHo, early Open New York members spent years advocating to legalize homes in one of NYC’s most exclusive neighborhoods. Open New York’s advocacy led to the 2021 rezoning that opened the door for thousands of new homes in two of New York City’s wealthiest neighborhoods, and set an important precedent that every neighborhood must be part of the solution to NYC’s housing shortage.
In 2021, the New York City Council approved the Gowanus rezoning, paving the way for 8,500 new homes, 3,000 of them income-restricted, in a well-resourced, transit-rich neighborhood. The rezoning effort took over a decade to realize, and Open New York members showed up and pushed hard to get it over the finish line to finally realize more homes in this area.
In 2022, the City Council approved the Bruckner Boulevard rezoning, an effort driven by Open New York members, who met with lawmakers, rallied public support, and drew media and political attention to the project, helping to build a broad coalition of union members, housing advocates, and local residents. Its success early in a new administration signaled the shifting tide in New York City’s housing politics.
ON-GOING CAMPAIGNS
Groundbreaking legislation growing pro-housing momentum statewide: The Faith-Based Affordable Housing Act (S3397/A3647)
Faith-based organizations (FBO’s) like churches, mosques, temples and synagogues have long been pillars of their communities, providing a significant part of the social safety net to New Yorkers. Many FBOs are land rich and cash poor, with aging buildings and underutilized properties.
The Faith-Based Affordable Housing Act would make it easier for institutions across the state to build homes on their land. It encourages governments to make it possible for residents to access affordable housing by removing unduly restrictive zoning.
Through coordinated communications, grassroots organizing, advocacy, and direct lobbying, our broad and diverse coalition is urging the New York State Legislature and Governor Hochul to come together and pass the Faith-Based Affordable Housing Act. This critical legislation will help reinvigorate our institutions and expand access to housing across New York State.
Fixing New York City’s Broken Land-Use Process with Needed Charter Reforms
In July 2025, the Charter Revision Commission released its final report, and with it, put four amendments on the November ballot that could be a huge step forward for housing affordability in New York. If passed, these reforms would help ensure that every neighborhood does its fair share to address the housing shortage. They reject the long-standing idea that some areas should be off-limits to new homes, and instead call for fairer, citywide solutions.
The Commission’s final report reflects a nine-month process that many Open New York members helped shape—from strategy meetings that led to our February release of policy recommendations, to showing up at public hearings across the city and submitting testimony. Open New York will be supporting these four proposals and working to make sure every New Yorker knows what’s at stake and votes yes for housing in November. Sign up to be a member, and keep an eye out for upcoming ways to get involved.
Advocating for more homes across New York State
In 2022, Open New York expanded statewide, with volunteer member chapters in communities across the state. Grassroots members have been involved in advocacy for dozens of other efforts in their own backyards across New York — join Open New York as a member today to learn about opportunities to advocate in your community!
