New York City’s lower-density neighborhoods have become increasingly diverse in recent decades — and they’re in need of more housing options to reflect that, according to a new survey from the Citizens Housing & Planning Council.
More than half of the land in the five boroughs is zoned for lower-density housing, and nearly 60 percent of the housing in the districts is in one- or two-unit buildings, the research and advocacy group noted. But the status quo may be increasingly insufficient for the population residing there.
The organization polled 805 residents of lower-density zoning districts, finding about half of respondents were renters; 74 percent were concerned about whether they can afford to stay in their homes; and respondents were more likely to live in shared housing arrangements. Over the last two decades, the report noted, low-density districts have gone from being more white than the rest of the city to less white.
“These neighborhoods are not old-style Levittowns, populated by white, single-family homeowners and nuclear families with unchanging needs,” the organization wrote. Rather, they’re “dynamic, diverse communities, now straining against the limits that have been imposed on their housing.”
Survey respondents were more likely to share housing with an adult other than a spouse or partner than households citywide, and Black and Asian respondents in particular were most likely to share housing with related or unrelated adults other than a spouse, CHPC found. Nearly 20 percent of respondents were dissatisfied with the privacy their living situation offers.
“People end up wedging themselves into whatever housing is available,” said Howard Slatkin, executive director of the organization.
About a third of respondents to the survey live in multi-family buildings with four or more units, and “and there are indications that more of this type of housing is needed,” the report stated.
Two-thirds of homeowners and 82 percent of renters expressed concern an increase in housing costs would prevent them from staying in their home as long as they’d like.
The survey noted rental income and accessory dwelling units can help ease financial stress on homeowners, finding Black homeowners more often reported renting out units in their homes, and were more than twice as likely to be using their basements or cellars for living space.
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CONGESTION PRICING FIGHT CONTINUES — POLITICO’s Ry Rivard: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Thursday threatened another lawsuit to block New York’s plan to charge drivers entering parts of New York City $15 more a day. Murphy’s threat, based on how hard commuters from his state would be hit by the toll, was but one dramatic reaction to new recommendations by a group tasked with crafting a long-awaited, landmark tolling plan to curb traffic and fund public transportation in the nation’s largest city.
A member of that group, known as the Traffic Mobility Review Board, condemned the plan and quit. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the plan — which has taken months if not years to craft — was “the beginning of the conversation” about what the final rate should be.
But, despite the foreseeable hiccups and some unknown legal hurdles, New York City is now closer than any major American city has ever been to reversing decades of pro-car policies that have cluttered streets and fouled the air for generations.
FDNY INSPECTIONS CANCELED FOR CITY HALL VIP — THE CITY’s Greg B. Smith: “The pressure from Mayor Eric Adams’ team to fast-track an FDNY inspection of a 77-story office tower at Hudson Yards triggered the cancelation of fire inspections for a dozen non-VIP New Yorkers, including an overcrowded, racially diverse public school in Brooklyn’s Dyker Heights.
“In the spring of 2022, 50 Hudson Yards landed at the top of an internal City Hall list that pressed the fire department to expedite inspections for favored big developers such as The Related Companies (which built Hudson Yards), Vornado and SL Green, as well as corporations such as Amazon and Meta opening up huge offices in New York City.”
HOCHUL DROPS HOUSING MANDATES — POLITICO’s Janaki Chadha: Gov. Kathy Hochul acknowledged Thursday her wide-ranging push to force increased housing production across the state through mandates is a “longer journey” than she’d like — while confirming she will not pursue the same plan next year.
“In the scheme of states who have made success in this area, like California, it took them decades. So the process has started, to educate members and educate the public that changes need to happen at the legislative level,” Hochul said after an unrelated event, responding to a City & State report that she’s retreating from the push.
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OFFICIALS LOOK TO REVIVE TAX LIEN SALE — Bloomberg Tax’s Danielle Muoio Dunn: “New York City finance officials are pursuing legislation to reauthorize the city’s ability to sell tax liens on property debt, a controversial program that lawmakers previously criticized for disproportionately targeting communities of color and hurting low-income homeowners.
“The proposal includes ‘the most significant reforms to the tax lien sale since its inception,’ Finance Commissioner Preston Niblack said at a Department of Finance event in October. It will ‘help ensure that no homeowner need ever face the prospect of eviction’ and ‘preserve affordable housing opportunities in disadvantaged neighborhoods,’ he said.”
CALLS FOR STATE PROBE OF LANDLORD ‘PRICE-FIXING’ — Gothamist’s David Brand: “Rep. Daniel Goldman is urging New York state to investigate a controversial tech company accused of a broad ‘price-fixing’ scheme that helps landlords jack up rents on a massive scale.
“In a letter to Attorney General Letitia James Tuesday, Goldman took aim at RealPage, a company that uses algorithms to analyze vast amounts of public and private rental data and pumps out price recommendations for landlords and property managers.”
OFFICE WOES PERSIST — Crain’s Eddie Small: “Despite hopes for a broad recovery in the Manhattan office market this year, 2023 is on track to see even less leasing activity than 2022 with only a month to go, according to the latest data from Colliers.
“Firms leased about 2.1 million square feet in the borough in November, bringing its year-to-date total to about 23.7 million square feet, 12.9% less than the total at this point last year. Deals in November itself were actually up significantly year over year, although activity still fell month over month given Manhattan’s particularly busy October, which saw two leases of more than 250,000 square feet.”
— Larry Silverstein is doubtful the Innovation QNS project in Astoria will get off the ground during his lifetime.
— A new global survey finds Singapore and Zurich have surpassed New York as the world’s most expensive cities to live in.
— A city housing initiative to provide financing to homeowners who want to add accessory dwelling units has seen massive demand.
