The start of a new mayoral administration is often a moment of great anticipation, especially when it brings the possibility of meaningful policy shifts. In a detailed letter dated January 1, 2026, Village Preservation extended congratulations to Mayor Zohran Mamdani on his inauguration and laid out a comprehensive set of priorities the historic preservation organization […]
In December 2021, the City Council passed the de Blasio administration’s contentious proposal to rezone SoHo, NoHo, and Chinatown. The goal of the plan was to address the lack of new affordable housing in these communities by allowing for larger developments and more “as-of-right” developments that would include new residential components. The City’s 10-year study […]
The Adams Administration’s proposed City of Yes of Housing Opportunity is the latest attempt by the City to tackle the affordable housing crisis by relaxing zoning controls. The hope is that, if you allow even bigger development, everyone will be able to sit back and watch the market work its magic, producing market rate construction […]
New York City has been experiencing a housing emergency since Tony Manero was strutting down the sidewalks of Bay Ridge in 1977’s “Saturday Night Fever.” This emergency consists of a mismatch between the price of existing housing and the means of local residents. This mismatch is disproportionally found at the bottom of the market, where […]
This is the fourth installment in our Q & A series on what should be called City of Yes for Developer Opportunities, a massive rezoning that ostensibly addresses the city’s affordable housing crisis, but actually doesn’t. The proposal’s underlying assumption is that this crisis afflicts everyone, from the inconvenienced plutocrat who has to reach too […]
Many of the questions we keep encountering about the ambitious city-wide upzoning proposal called City of Yes for Housing Opportunity stem from a basic misunderstanding. Most people take “City of Yes” to be plain English, when, in fact, it’s government-speak for “City of No political will to meaningfully address the need for affordable housing.” In […]
The City of Yes zoning text amendment proposal continues its reckless march through the public review process, improbably announcing “next stop: housing affordability,” but really inspiring zero confidence about where the hell it’s taking us. Part 1 of this series refuted the claim that we are confronting a generalized housing crisis and answered questions about […]
The persistence of ideas offers no guarantees of their soundness. Take, for instance, the recurring belief that the answer to the housing question lies in less regulation. Deregulated housing markets have had a long and colorful history, but not one typically associated with an abundance of sound affordable housing for the working poor. On the […]
We are thrilled to report that late Friday Mayor Adams vetoed a draconian, punitive measure we opposed introduced by (now former) City Councilmember Margaret Chin and approved in December by the City Council (including local Councilmembers Carlina Rivera and Corey Johnson). That measure would have imposed crippling fines on noncertified artist residents of certain types of […]
Hard-Fought-For Changes Will Blunt Some of Worst Elements of Plan, which Remains Giant Real Estate Giveaway Late yesterday the City Council voted 43 to 5 to approve the revised version of the Mayor’s SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Upzoning + Displacement plan. As we previously reported, after months of fighting, the plan was modified to eliminate or lessen some […]
The full City Council appears poised to vote on the revised SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Upzoning+Displacement Plan as soon as this Wednesday (full Council is currently scheduled to meet at 1:30 pm). It’s CRITICAL that City Councilmembers hear from you NOW that the revised plan — which would still promote grossly oversized development, the demolition of rent-regulated affordable […]
Yesterday the City Council’s Zoning Subcommittee and Land Use Committee each voted to approve a revised SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Upzoning + Displacement Plan, with changes negotiated by Councilmembers Margaret Chin and Carlina Rivera, who urged their colleagues on the committee to support the plan. All but one did. In short, the revised plan is a bit less […]
After several delays, the City Council’s Zoning Subcommittee and Land Use Committee appear poised to vote on the massive SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Upzoning + Displacement plan today starting at approximately 11:30 am. There has been no public word on what if any changes the Council may make to the plan, though we have good reason to believe […]
The vote on Mayor de Blasio’s SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Upzoning+Displacement plan, originally expected this Thursday, has now been pushed back to next week, with the first vote in the Council’s Zoning Subcommittee as early as next Tuesday. While we understand changes to the plan are being considered by the Council, most if not all appear to be […]
The City Council’s Zoning Subcommittee will vote on the Mayor’s SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Upzoning+Displacement plan as early as this Thursday, setting the stage for the final decision by the full City Council. It’s critical that Councilmembers hear from you NOW! Call your councilmember and tell them to vote NO. Tell them changes aren’t enough, the plan needs […]
The first (and in many ways most important) of three required votes in the City Council on the Mayor’s disastrous SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown Upzoning + Displacement plan may take place as early as next Thursday, December 2, when the City Council’s Zoning Subcommittee meets again. The subcommittee must vote on the plan, followed by the Land Use […]
The City Council’s sole public hearing on the massive and disastrous proposed upzoning of SoHo, NoHo, and parts of Chinatown will be Tuesday, November 9, in the Zoning Subcommittee of the City Council. The virtual meeting begins at 10 am, but this is the fourth and final agenda item, so this item’s hearing is not […]
Some important updates on the SoHo/NoHo rezoning fight: Opponents Swamp Supporters at Public Hearing: Around 100 people testified at yesterday’s City Planning Commission public hearing, even though it was held just prior to the Labor Day weekend and as the city was still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Ida, showing this administration’s contempt for […]
Virtual and In-Person Testimony Allowed Borough President Holds Five-Hour Public Hearing, Withholds Recommendation Opponents Including Incoming and Past Councilmembers Urge Rejection The City Planning Commission will hold its sole public hearing on the massive SoHo/NoHo Upzoning plan this Thursday beginning at 10 am. Virtual and in-person testimony at 120 Broadway’s basement concourse hearing room will […]
The City has dangled the promise of affordable housing in SoHo/NoHo/Chinatown before the public to give a progressive veneer to the massive handout that De Blasio’s upzoning plan makes available to developers, and to draw attention away from the likely demolition of existing affordable housing that this will effect. These promises, however, are unlikely to […]
We had a huge and united turnout on Wednesday at our press conference opposing the Mayor’s outrageous SoHo/NoHo rezoning plan and the Community Board 2 public hearing that followed. We were joined by local, city, and statewide affordable housing/tenant groups, SoHo, NoHo, Chinatown, and Lower East Side groups, and citywide and statewide historic preservation organizations to […]
Last week, the City ‘certified,‘ or issued its final proposal for the massive upzoning of SoHo, NoHo, and parts of Chinatown. The voluminous documents contained numerous inaccuracies, falsehoods, and mischaracterizations, designed to sell this obscene real estate giveaway to the Mayor’s real estate benefactors as a boon to social justice and equity. But if you […]
The newly-released study by Village Preservation shows that the City’s SoHo/NoHo Rezoning Plan, which includes part of Chinatown, will make the area richer, whiter, and more expensive to live in than now, increase demolition pressures on existing rent regulated units, and potentially destroy more affordable housing than it creates. The city also does not accurately represent […]
Details Are Scarce, But Indications Raise Big Concerns and Conflicts of Interest; Local Elected Officials, Citywide Candidates, and Real Estate Interests Back Move In a surprise move this Wednesday, Mayor de Blasio announced that he intends to propose a rezoning of SoHo and NoHo that would include upzoning certain areas to substantially increase the size of allowable […]
An abridged version of this piece appeared as an op-ed in the January 23, 2020 edition of AM-Metro NY. A recent report issued on behalf of the NYC Department of City Planning, the Manhattan Borough President, and City Councilmember Margaret Chin called for seeking opportunities to create affordable housing in SoHo and NoHo, and to […]
Despite the cloudy skies, today GVSHP was joined by community, affordable housing, and tenant groups from the Village and Chelsea to call upon the City Council to reject the proposed Chelsea Market upzoning, which will come up for a vote next month. You can view a photoset of today’s press conference here as well as […]
