As Mayor Eric Adams's last days wind up in office, he has announced a new plan to build 100,000 homes in Manhattan.
Normally, when we think of the borough, Wall Street and business comes to mind. In the past, it hasn't been a hot spot for residential like Queens or Brooklyn — but New York City is desperate more than ever to tackle the affordability crisis. And particularly, there's an opportunity in Manhattan, as only Staten Island produces less housing among the New York City boroughs.
Adams calls the new initiative the "Manhattan Plan," where his administration laid out six ideas and potential actions to meet the 100,000 threshold over the next decade. Some of these may require the benefits of the City of Yes, a series of rezoning amendments that make it easier to build housing.
The ideas listed include building housing near transportation and job centers, using government-owned sites, targeting high-density areas in R11 and R12 zoning districts, improving processes for regulations and developments, expanding alternative and development models and exploring private sites that are underutilized or vacant.
“For too long, the cost of living in Manhattan has gone up, working-class families have gone away, and our city’s housing crisis has grown more severe," Adams said in a statement.
"Our administration promised to change that, advancing bold plans to bring thousands of new homes to the borough and make sure that Manhattan is still a place you can live and raise a family."
Of course, it remains to be seen if Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani follows through on Adams' new plan once he takes office. But on the campaign trail, the Democratic socialist put housing and affordability at the forefront of his focus.
But one major housing initiative that will happen in Manhattan is the Midtown South Mixed-Use Plan. This was approved by the City Council in August and will bring roughly 9,500 new homes to the neighborhood.
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