NYC Mayor Eric Adams makes sweeping changes to city residential zoning laws to build 100,000 NEW homes above commercial strips and near subway stations

New York City Mayor Eric Adams shared a comprehensive plan to address the city’s housing crisis and paved the way to build 100,000 new homes in the Big Apple.

Adams announced the largest housing overhaul in decades on Thursday at the Borough of Manhattan Community College.

His ‘groundbreaking’ plans could see restrictions on development around subway stations and above laundromats, bodegas and one-level residential units torn up – allowing for extensions of up to five stories.

New builds could be much larger if they include affordable housing, one- and two- family homes could get the green light to convert basements, attics and garages into apartments and red tape around converting office buildings could be removed. 

‘There’s one thing that has barely changed since 1961 – New York City’s zoning laws,’ said Adams. ‘So many of the issues we face are rooted in the ongoing housing crisis.’

The proposals will provide relief to a city in desperate need of affordable housing to accommodate an influx of migrants – of which the city has already taken in 110,000 –  and a growing homeless population. 

Eric Adams announced sweeping housing reforms after being criticized for his handling of the  migrant crisis

Adams is looking to rewrite current rules which have limited housing growth in NYC after US Census data found an incredible 404,750 people left the city between 2020 and 2022.

If Adams gets his wish, the new proposals would allow building to happen on nearly every corner in New York City. 

‘This is not tinkering around the edges, this is groundbreaking – literally – by rewriting the wrongs of history,’ said Adams. 

More than 110,000 asylum seekers have arrived in the city since the Spring of 2022, and currently more than 10,000 are arriving every month.

A recent study found New York City homelessness is up 18 percent compared to last year and a total of 4,042 people are sleeping in the subways or on the streets.

‘By rewriting the wrongs of history, this plan will allow us to build a little more housing in every neighborhood, incentivize affordable housing, build more housing near transit hubs, convert unused office space into apartments, renew our commercial corridors, help small homeowners to build better spaces on their property and, finally, prioritizing people over parking,’ said the mayor.

One proposal would allow the construction of apartment buildings up to five stories tall on top of laundromats and bodegas in some neighborhoods outside Manhattan where it’s currently banned. 

Adams also wants to make it easier for one and two-family homes to convert spaces like basements, attic and garages into apartments – freeing up unused space that already exists in the city.

He also intends to allow larger developments in the city if they offer affordable housing, and wants to eliminate the need for new buildings to include parking spaces – something which has held back many developers in the past. 

More than 110,000 asylum seekers have arrived in the city since the Spring of 2022

Adams plan would change zoning laws and allow for over 100,000 homes to be built

New York City faces a growing homeless population, partially due to a lack of affordable housing

If his plans go ahead, it would become easier for developers to convert office spaces into apartments and smaller apartment sizes would be made legal.

As radical as the plans would be for the city, they could take years to go into effect and will need to be approved by the city council. 

On the campaign trail Adams made promises to address the housing crisis, but so far his previous housing projects have failed. 

Restate company Douglas Elliman reported that the average rent in Manhattan in August was $5,552. 

The National Low Income Housing Coalition said there is a shortage of 655,940 affordable and available rental homes for extremely low income renters in New York.