MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
New York City has more than 3.5 million homes, but finding one to rent or buy, well, that's a challenge.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Yeah, most are occupied, and prices outpace nearly every other place in the country. Officials have taken a step toward addressing the city's housing crisis by approving a housing plan that could pave the way for 80,000 new homes over the next 15 years.
MARTIN: Here to tell us more about it is reporter David Brand from member station WNYC. Good morning, David.
DAVID BRAND, BYLINE: Good morning.
MARTIN: So first, walk us through the plan.
BRAND: The plan is called City of Yes, and it would increase the amount of housing that could be built in every part of the city. Now, when people think of New York City, they may picture the skyscrapers in Manhattan, but the landscape here is really diverse. Big sections look more like suburbs, and many neighborhoods are made up of three- to four-story apartment buildings. This plan has tweaks that will permit more housing in pretty much all of them. Some homeowners will be able to add extra units on their properties. Developers can build bigger buildings near subway stations. And the rules will make it easier to convert empty offices into condos and apartments.
MARTIN: I think one of the things that's really become clear is that a lot of places around the country have a housing shortage, David. But is the feeling that this will solve the problem in New York City?
BRAND: No. This is significant, but it's not going to solve New York City's housing shortage, especially for the lowest income New Yorkers. That's been a big concern for a lot of the council members who voted on this plan. City council speaker Adrienne Adams says zoning alone doesn't automatically create affordable housing, so she got the mayor to commit more funding for rental assistance and low-income housing.
ADRIENNE ADAMS: People needed to know that they would have places that they could afford, not just market rate anything. We have that already. We had to go farther than zoning.
BRAND: Rents and home prices are soaring and homelessness here is at a record high.
MARTIN: And, David, I think people might remember that New York City's Mayor Eric Adams was indicted in September on federal corruption charges. He is running for reelection. What does this mean for him? Does this change the narrative for him?
BRAND: Yeah, he's touting it as a signature achievement.
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ERIC ADAMS: The greatest city in the world has just passed the greatest housing legislation in our history.
BRAND: You're right that this has been a perilous political time for Adams. He's facing criminal charges for allegedly accepting illegal campaign contributions and doing favors for foreign benefactors. Many of his top aides and even top police officials have been tied up in a series of separate state and federal investigations. So this is definitely a win, and like you said, a chance to change the narrative. But New York City is not exactly a national leader on bold moves to address housing shortages. California already permits property owners to add an extra unit on their lots. Columbus, Ohio, Minneapolis and Austin have all approved major changes to fuel more development, and those are far more ambitious plans than the one that New York City just passed.
MARTIN: Even having said that, though, when will New Yorkers start to see construction on all these new units?
BRAND: Well, housing takes a long time to build, and this is a 15-year plan. So, you know, developers and property owners need to submit plans. They need to get permits, and construction takes years to complete. So I don't think we're going to be seeing cranes going up on our blocks tomorrow, but in the near future.
MARTIN: That is David Brand of member station WNYC. David, thank you.
BRAND: Thanks for having me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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