A slightly streamlined version of the Adams administration's “City of Yes” plan, which would modernize laughably outdated zoning rules for businesses and relax how and where they can operate, passed the City Council on Thursday by a final vote of 36-14.
The “Pro-Economic Opportunity City” aims to give city businesses more breathing room by cutting zoning red tape that has existed for decades.
The measure could make it easier to fill vacant storefronts, encourage light manufacturing such as jewelry making and 3D printing, and update rules for the auto repair and life sciences sectors. It is the second of three “City of Yes” zoning proposals led by the Department of City Planning.
“We have taken a historic step to bring our City's zoning rules into the 21st century and build a more inclusive, thriving economy,” Mayor Adams said in a statement after the vote.
But the council made several changes to the “economic opportunity zoning” bill last month ahead of its passage, most notably removing a provision that would have attracted more corner stores to residential areas, which has met with resistance, especially in suburban boroughs. Many communities have expressed frustration with the dense nature of the proposal, concerned about potential clashes between commercial and residential space.
City Councilman Chris Banks, a Brooklyn Democrat, was one of several elected officials who voted against “Economic Opportunity.”
“Revision of zoning laws is overdue but must be done in a responsible manner,” he said, calling passage of the plan “hasty.”
While the Economic Opportunity Plan made it through the city's review process largely unscathed, the cutting of the corner store's cornerstone hints at a tougher fight the administration will face in the Pro-Housing Opportunity Plan city later this year.
This is the last and most controversial of the “Yes City” policies and Mayor Adams' signature strategy to address the ongoing housing crisis by relaxing zoning regulations to bring “a few more homes to every neighborhood.” The mayor estimates that it would result in the construction of between 58,200 and 108,900 new housing units over 15 years.
Housing Opportunity drew early criticism and caution, particularly from anti-development areas on the city's outskirts, and is currently being reviewed by a community board that will then ask the borough president for a recommendation.
On Wednesday, the borough presidents of Queens and the Bronx said they generally support the bill but intend to propose changes to it.
A final City Council vote on the housing plan is not expected until the end of 2024.
