Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 1 p.m. (New York City time), 250 Broadway - 8th Floor - Hearing Room 3
Committee: Committee on Land Use
The Committee on Land Use, chaired by Council Member Kevin C. Riley, first approved three land use items on its subcommittees' recommendations: a UDAAP and Article XI tax exemption for the Convent Avenue cluster (four buildings, approximately 77 homeownership units), a rezoning at 1450 Coney Island Avenue in Council Member Feliz's district to facilitate a long-term senior care facility, and a rezoning at 135-27 Sapphire Street in Council Member Ariola's district for a residential project of approximately 268 apartments (up to 80 permanently affordable). The clerk reported the items approved by a vote of 10 in the affirmative, zero in the negative, with no abstentions. The committee then held an oversight hearing on Mayor Mamdani's Block by Block Housing Plan, hearing from Department of City Planning Chair/Director Sherman, HPD Deputy Commissioner Sandler, and DCP's executive director. Council members questioned the administration on the 12 affordable housing fast track districts, loss of Council final approval under the new process, capital planning and infrastructure, deep affordability, NYCHA infill, transit-oriented development, and community engagement, with several pressing for commitments to follow up with data. Public testimony was heard from housing advocates, unions, preservation groups, community boards, and residents, after which the chair closed the hearing.
0:05 Webinar has started. Oh
0:05 ,okay. Good afternoon and
0:12 welcome to you, New York City
0:13 hybrid here and in the
0:14 committee in london's please
0:16 silence all electronic devices
0:17 of this time if you know I
0:18 have not yet followed an
0:20 appearance said, please do
0:21 that with a sergeant and arms
0:21 in the back of the room
0:24 . Also, please do not approach
0:25 it tedious. Thank you very
0:26 much very kind cooperation
0:28 good afternoon, everyone and
0:32 welcome to a media of the
0:34 committee on land use. I am
0:36 Council Member Kevin rawley,
0:37 chair of this committee. I
0:39 would like to welcome my
0:40 esteemed colleagues today. I'm
0:41 joined by chair mart chair
0:44 lewis council koban Brewer
0:48 verena Sanchez, Justin Sanchez
0:51 incarnation Thomas Henry,
0:52 minority legal car council
0:52 member in our seas and calcium
0:55 or michael is sent to santa
0:59 sees me. I got it right? All
1:03 right? Yeah, at today's me in
1:04 at about 10 minutes for those
1:05 of you waiting. We will open
1:07 up and oversight here
1:09 regarding Mayor mom donny's
1:10 block by block housing plan,
1:12 which was released earlier
1:14 this year as many of you know
1:16 the administration ambitious
1:17 plan targets 200000 New
1:19 construction, affordable
1:22 housing units and 200000
1:24 preservation units for a total
1:24 of 400000 affordable housing
1:27 units in New York City over
1:29 the next decade. We look
1:30 forward to a robust discussion
1:32 of the mayor's plan with
1:34 members of his administration
1:35 who have joined us today and
1:37 we also look forward t
1:38 ohearing feedback from the
1:40 public related to this pla
1:41 nright after we hear from the
1:43 agencies in a few minutes I
1:44 will go over some procedural
1:47 announcements regarding how
1:48 members of the public sign up
1:51 to testify. But before we get
1:52 to our oversight hearing the
1:53 committee will take up some
1:54 other business in the form of
1:56 handling land use votes. Today
1:58 we are voting on three
2:00 proposals on the
2:01 recommendations of our two
2:02 subcommittees and thank you
2:04 always to chair martin and
2:05 chair lewis for your
2:08 leadership there today we will
2:09 vote to approve related to the
2:14 48 deaths. 50 Convent avenue
2:15 cluster a. M a n. C. For you
2:24 approval and article 11 tax
2:26 exemption to facilitate the
2:27 preservation of four building
2:30 s, including approximately 7
2:32 7homeownership units. We will
2:33 also vote to approve 243
2:37 related to the 14 55 coney
2:40 island avenue rezoning
2:41 proposal and Council Member
2:42 fell this district in brooklyn
2:45 for his only map is on the
2:46 text amendment to facilitate
2:47 the development of a long term
2:49 care facility for its seniors
2:51 and we will also vote to
2:53 approve l use hundred 4445
2:57 related to the hundred 35 days
2:59 , 27 safire street result
3:01 proposal and Council Member
3:02 areola district in queens for
3:06 his own and map amendment was
3:06 screaming for his own and map
3:08 ends only text amendment t
3:10 ofacilitate the development of
3:11 a New residential project
3:13 ,including approximately 268
3:16 apartments in total of which
3:18 up to 80 will be permanently
3:19 affordable with me. I will now
3:23 call for a vote with the
3:24 support of the local members
3:26 to approve hundred 2930 fo
3:29 rthe convent avenue proposal
3:30 ,use 1 42 143 for the 450 coney
3:35 island avenue, rezone it
3:42 hundred 45 435- 27 safire
3:43 street clerk, please call the
3:46 roll could have to excuse me.
3:46 Good afternoon. Believe martin
3:47 committee clerk roll call
3:49 committee online use all items
3:51 are coupled chair Riley, gabon
3:54 . Thank you, lewis. Okay,
4:03 Brooks Powers I wrote, I thank
4:09 you. Abre u oh, say salam,
4:27 Council Member of Banks iron.
4:32 Thank you, juan. Look,
4:40 Encarnación, I, Justin Sanchez
4:43 . Thomas. Henry I
4:48 councilmember car I with a
4:52 vote of 10 in the affirmative
4:53 ,zero in the negative. No
4:54 abstentions. All items have
4:55 been approved by the committee
4:56 is described by the chair.
5:00 Thankou. Yjust want to sta
5:01 yfor a we've been joined by
5:02 counsel robert Banks, customer
5:04 Salaam and majority whip Hanks
5:07 . Thank thank you to my
5:08 committee colleagues and thank
5:09 you to the committee clerk and
5:11 I will open up our oversight
5:13 hearing on today's agenda t
5:15 oaddress the administration's
5:16 blocked by block housing
5:20 player at the start, I will
5:20 remind everyone that this mean
5:21 is being held in hybrid format
5:23 and members of the public view
5:25 a lives stream broadcast of
5:26 this mean that the council's
5:29 website. Members of the public
5:30 who wish to testify do so
5:32 either through zoom or in
5:36 person, those wishing to
5:37 testified by zoom much
5:38 register online at New York
5:40 City Council's website at w
5:45 council dot slash land used t
5:48 osign up for those of you here
5:49 with us in person if you're if
5:51 you registered online in
5:53 advance. Please be sure to see
5:54 one of the soldiers there arms
5:56 to prepare and submit and
5:59 speakers card. We will limit
6:00 public testimony to tw
6:00 ominutes per witness. If you
6:03 have additional testimony or
6:03 if you have written testimony
6:05 you would like to submit. We
6:07 actually two, please email it
6:09 to land use testimony at
6:14 council. That and please
6:14 include the phrase oversight
6:16 mayors housing plan in the
6:17 subject line of your email
6:20 .lastly, I want to remind
6:20 everyone that this is a
6:22 government proceeding and the
6:23 core must be observed at all
6:25 times members of the public
6:26 are acts not to speak during
6:28 the mean unless you are
6:31 testifying, the witness table
6:31 is reserved for people who are
6:32 called to testify and no video
6:34 recording or photography is
6:36 allowed from the witness table
6:39 members of the public not
6:40 present audio or video
6:42 recordings as testimony, but
6:44 you submit transcript of such
6:46 recording to the sergeant at
6:47 arms for inclusion in the
6:51 aaron record. We're joined
6:52 today by the administration
6:53 officials, including chair.
6:54 It's a day of sherman from the
6:55 City planning commission, who
6:56 is the director of the
6:58 department of City planning
6:59 and michael sandler, the
7:02 deputy commissioner for the
7:03 office of neighborhoods, his
7:04 strategies from the department
7:05 of housing preservation and
7:08 development. We also have the
7:09 executive director of
7:10 department of City planning
7:12 edith su chen. Thank you again
7:14 to all of you for
7:16 participating in today's
7:21 hearing. We also be enjoyed by
7:22 council members wing. We're
7:26 going to pause just to take a
7:27 vote real quick continuation
7:31 memberall vote the
7:35 . I thank you, voters now at
7:39 11. Thank
7:40 . You across government and
7:41 private secr. Wtoe all agree
7:42 that New York City must
7:44 aggressively increase the
7:45 production of housing and
7:47 affordable housing. The goal
7:48 of the block by block plan or
7:50 bold and extremely ambitious
7:54 200000 New affordable units as
7:55 a part of 700000 total New
7:57 units over the next decade.
8:01 This represents more housing
8:01 at the faster rate than New
8:03 York City has produced in a
8:07 hundred years, the
8:07 administration alone cannot
8:08 achieve this rate of housing
8:10 production, and I want t
8:11 oremind you today, despite of
8:13 narrative that too often pits
8:14 the council against the
8:17 administration. Where are your
8:18 partners and a group of
8:19 elected officials who best
8:20 know the communities we were
8:22 elected to represent, and we
8:25 can effectively help you t
8:26 oachieve the goals laid out in
8:30 this plan. Details on how
8:32 eight, sweetie, and intend t
8:34 orealistically achieve these
8:35 numbers remain absent, we're
8:37 ready to roll up our sleeves
8:39 engaged on specifics and do
8:41 what government does best
8:42 ,which is set the stage for
8:45 sustainable community
8:45 development. That means the
8:46 larger needs of the City while
8:49 remaining respectful and
8:50 inclusive of everyone who
8:51 calls New York City home
8:53 . So far in the press and at
8:56 events we've heard more about
8:57 the efforts to fast track
9:01 developer applications, then
9:02 we've heard about the plan
9:03 they needed to support New
9:05 housing housing cannot be
9:06 thought of just an isolation,
9:09 successful housing is
9:10 supported by access to jobs,
9:14 transportation, open space,
9:16 schools, libraries, grocery
9:18 stores and other needed
9:21 physical infrastructure. The
9:22 data shows that from 2010 2
9:25 2020 City led neighborhood
9:26 rezone ints were responsible
9:28 for nearly three times more
9:29 New housing units than private
9:33 development applications, this
9:34 council with leadership from
9:35 speaking mended and myself has
9:37 been loud and clear about the
9:38 benefits of proactive plannin
9:41 g, engaging with communities on
9:42 the ground and doing the hard
9:43 work or understanding their
9:45 knees and identifying the
9:47 investments to support good
9:49 growth and quality development
9:50 . We are doing the work has
9:51 shown by the council's
9:54 initiative in bay rich stand
9:56 alan's north shore and in park
9:58 webster's section of the bronx
10:00 we know that and neighborhood
10:06 rezoning that provided the
10:08 needed local investment, along
10:09 with New housing recently
10:12 promoted the example of the
10:13 east New York neighborhood
10:15 plan in the 10 years since the
10:17 plan was approved.
10:19 Over 6000 units of housing
10:20 has been built more than 50%
10:25 affordable alongside hundreds
10:25 of millions of dollars of City
10:29 investments for neighborhood
10:29 improvements, including New
10:30 school seats improve parks and
10:33 open space facilities and
10:35 other critical infrastructure
10:37 needed the council was proud
10:37 to partner on this
10:39 neighborhood rezoning, which
10:41 represents the success that
10:42 can be achieved through
10:43 proactive neighborhoods
10:46 planning. We all want to move
10:47 fast, but the housing our
10:49 constituents need would not be
10:50 created unless we move
10:51 together and in the same
10:54 direction, creating a healthy
10:55 ,diverse communities take time,
10:58 investment and meaningful
11:00 engagement and so while I
11:01 pulled the vision and the
11:02 goals of the mayor's blocked
11:04 by block plan and want the
11:06 administration to be
11:07 successful. There are a lot of
11:08 questions that remain when
11:10 women start seeing the details
11:12 of how speed affordable
11:15 housing in the fast track
11:18 districts. How can communities
11:19 and targeted fast track areas
11:22 learn about and participate in
11:23 any of these efforts is there
11:25 vision for planning with
11:27 communities for an affordable
11:28 and most importantly, livable
11:30 New York City. What was the
11:33 role of neighborhood planning
11:34 in this administration well
11:36 worked to build the kind of
11:38 housing that New York tell us
11:41 they want, like opportunities
11:42 for homeownership and family
11:43 size units or simply
11:45 prioritized the bottom line
11:47 total count of affordable
11:49 units. What will the
11:50 administration do to work with
11:51 partners at the state and
11:53 federal level two secure a
11:55 sustained funding for
11:55 infrastructure and housing. We
11:58 cannot focus only on taxing
11:59 the rich or building over
12:02 really yards the most populous
12:03 City in the country needs all
12:05 hands on deck opposed t
12:07 osolving the affordability
12:10 crisis beyond these larger
12:11 questions I have specifi
12:12 cquestions about the
12:13 initiatives and the mayor's
12:14 plan and I hope we can start
12:16 to fill some of those
12:18 information gaps today, there
12:19 have been no updates. So many
12:20 of the blah, blah black
12:21 proposals since the plan
12:22 ,released in me. Pcp has not
12:25 been forthcoming with the
12:27 micro plants and hpd has not
12:29 told us how they plan t
12:31 oexpand their financial tools.
12:33 The details matter and we are
12:34 here too, them out and I want
12:38 to do so do it, and I want t
12:39 obe sure that the recently
12:42 adopted procedural tools don't
12:44 paper over the needed for
12:45 planning and community
12:48 engagement
12:48 . To ensure local needs are
12:49 met and that all agencies that
12:51 contribute to the development
12:52 of our City can be held
12:54 accountable by future
12:55 generations for the way in
12:56 which we said I would New York
13:00 City, so the objective is
13:01 clear today.
13:01 Is to start the conversation
13:03 about how to expedite the
13:05 construction of housing law
13:07 supporting our existing
13:08 communities. We cannot lose
13:09 sight of the fact that
13:10 building your affordable
13:12 housing this critical for New
13:12 York City to thrive, but it's
13:15 not sufficient by itself how
13:17 we build what we build and we
13:19 rebuild will determine the
13:20 future success of our
13:22 communities. End of the City
13:24 and with that, I will ask the
13:26 committee counsel t
13:27 oadminister the and invited our
13:28 administration to our speakers
13:33 to begin. Would you please
13:33 raise your right hand, I'll
13:36 ask you each in turn to answer
13:37 the following to use where or
13:38 affirm to tell the truth, the
13:39 whole truth and nothing but
13:39 the truth and you're just the
13:41 money before this committee
13:41 and an answer to all council
13:45 questions chair
13:46 . Sherman, deputy commissioner
13:47 sandler. I do. Thank you. You
13:51 probably want to swear you
13:55 different. Sorry executive
13:55 director su chen. Thank you.
14:01 Thank you. Good afternoon
14:02 chair, Riley and distinguished
14:03 members of the land use
14:05 committee. I'm cindy sherman,
14:05 chair of the City planning
14:07 commission and director of the
14:07 New York City department of
14:09 planning. I'm joined here
14:10 today by michael sandler
14:12 ,deputy commissioner for the
14:13 office of neighborhood
14:16 strategies at um, as well as
14:17 my colleagsue from including
14:19 executive director eva suit
14:20 . Thank you for giving us the
14:21 opportunity to speak with you
14:23 today,
14:23 when I last testified before
14:25 you I was six days into my
14:26 role at the department of City
14:29 planning at that time in I
14:30 spoke about the urgency of our
14:32 seh? Unlocking significantly
14:38 more housing across
14:39 neighborhoods, streamlining