Affordable Housing Takes Center Stage at City of Yes Hearing for Those For and Against Upzoning

Flatbush resident Elizabeth Denys, who is a member of pro-housing group Open New York, said they, like many others, is worried their family, friends, and neighbors will be pushed out of the city due to the housing shortage and skyrocketing rents, and their children won’t be able to find somewhere they can afford to live. “I’m really excited about the entirety of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity Initiative, and I urge the City Planning Commission to approve this proposal in its strongest possible form.”

Denys said for too long, too few neighborhoods have contributed to affordable housing creation, and the proposals would tackle that by upzoning all neighborhoods in the city. In regards to their neighborhood of Flatbush, Denys said the most relevant proposals are getting rid of parking mandates, allowing for the creation of accessory dwelling units, and permitting larger developments near transit lines.

Denys said a number of the existing apartment buildings in Flatbush couldn’t be built under today’s zoning, and “bringing back modest apartment buildings near train stations in our community is the perfect way to address the housing crisis.” They added: “Lifting parking minimums also helps reduce the cost of building homes, and thus the resulting rents where cars aren’t needed to get around.”