The New York City Council gave the final sign-off Wednesday to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s push to use zoning as a “racial justice” tool in SoHo and NoHo — allowing the construction of more than 3,000 new apartments there.
Lawmakers approved the overhaul by a vote of 43-5, despite deep opposition from many residents in the area and its newly-elected councilman, citing the city’s crippling housing shortage and needs for “racial inclusion.”
“I’m looking forward to getting it passed today and making history together,” said outgoing Councilwoman Margaret Chin (D-Manhattan) during de Blasio’s daily press briefing hours before the vote.
Chin represents much of the area and is term-limited out of office. Her replacement, Christopher Marte, is a vocal critic of the project.
“This is a tremendously important moment, not just because of new housing and jobs and the opportunity for local businesses to do better,” said de Blasio, touting the upzoning hours before its passage: “But also because it says ‘we need affordable housing everywhere in New York City, including in the most privileged communities.'”
The area’s other city lawmaker, Councilwoman Carlina Rivera (D-Manhattan), also backs the upzoning.
“With this project, we held one clear goal above all others — our North Star, if you will — that goal was to incentivize the creation of affordable housing at income levels where it is desperately needed,” said Rivera, who is campaigning to become the Council’s next leader.
Boosters say the zoning changes will potentially bring 3,500 new units to the neighborhood — 900 of which will be set aside for lower-income and middle income families.
City officials say the average annual income for the lottery apartments will be $72,000 for a family of four.
Detractors argued the new construction would risk changes to the historic character of the neighborhood and that developers would seek to push existing rent-stabilized tenants out of the area by demolishing those buildings.
Supporters countered that stringent laws that protect historic buildings and regulate rents make such outcomes unlikely, as developers would be require to buy out tenants and receive city or state sign-offs — and often approvals from both.
De Blasio’s administration rolled out the plan shortly after the city was rocked by the sometimes violent anti-police and racial justice protests during the summer of 2020.
Hizzoner’s top housing official, Deputy Mayor Vicki Been, touted the plan at its rollout as one way to better unify the Big Apple.
“The pandemic and the movement for racial justice make clear that all neighborhoods must pull their weight to provide safe, affordable housing options,” Been said.
The zoning change also marks the latest in a string of efforts by de Blasio to pack the city with controversial measures before he leaves office, for which The Post labeled him “Santanista Claus” on its front page.
Those efforts include a vaccine mandate for all private employers, legalized drug dens and getting rid of the city’s Gifted and Talented school program
