Open New York releases a bold agenda for New York City and State, as the group expands following a string of successes.
Full policy agenda can be viewed here.

NEW YORK – Today, ahead of Governor Kathy Hochul’s State of the State address, Open New York released a detailed policy agenda for New York City and State to tackle the mounting housing crisis. In a first for the state’s leading pro-housing advocacy group, this agenda includes a full slate of legislative priorities for the New York City Council and the New York State Legislature.

Open New York’s agenda comes amid a deep housing crisis in New York, where elected officials have fallen behind peers from across the country in passing innovative, pro-housing laws. New York tenants are rent-burdened and disempowered, and millions are scared that their families will experience formal or informal evictions this year. This housing crisis holds back New York’s goals on climate, transportation, racial justice, and economic growth — and working New Yorkers are paying the price every time they pay their rent.

While elected officials have begun to acknowledge New York’s profound housing shortage, real action is needed. Open New York’s 2023 policy agenda is a roadmap for an all-of-the-above vision for housing reform in New York — an ambitious, progressive, and holistic approach that will remove barriers to creating badly needed homes and will provide new powers and protections to tenants and government agencies.

“All levels of government — especially the State Legislature and the Governor — are responsible for New York’s housing affordability crisis, and we need them to be laser focused on using all their tools to create plentiful, stable, and affordable housing,” said Open New York’s Executive Director, Annemarie Gray. “Open New York’s first comprehensive housing agenda is focused on aggressively combating all forms of housing exclusion across the city and state, from excessive, outdated zoning regulations to landlords having unchecked power to jack up rents on tenants.

Gray continued, “Across the city and state, elected officials have come to the shared conclusion that building more homes is essential to addressing our housing crisis. But now is time for action, because words and sentiments won’t put a roof over New Yorkers’ heads. There are no silver bullets, but if these policies are implemented together, it will lay the groundwork to finally end the current era of exclusion, scarcity, increasing homelessness, and sky-high rents.”

SUPPORT FOR OPEN NEW YORK’S COMPREHENSIVE AGENDA

“In order to build a truly livable city, and to fully address New York's affordable housing crisis, we need to use every tool at our disposal to couple more housing with more tenant protections,” said New York State Assembly Member Juan Ardila. “I am glad that Open New York is adding its voice to the coalition of advocates calling to develop and preserve democratically-controlled housing, and strengthen tenant protections through supporting Good Cause legislation, TOPA and the creation of a Social Housing Construction Authority.”

“The housing crisis is a dual threat to New York City’s economic growth and most vulnerable residents,” said New York City Comptroller Brad Lander. “I am glad that Open New York is adding its voice to the clarion calls to develop and preserve permanently affordable and democratically controlled housing and strengthen tenant protections. The City and State must unite around housing policies that both increase supply and push back against the cycles of displacement.”

“The housing crisis can only be solved by big, bold ideas,” said New York City Council Member Keith Powers. “Reducing barriers to housing, protecting tenants, and expanding our housing stock are all necessary steps New York must take to meet the challenge of this moment. I am grateful to Open NY for their advocacy and look forward to continuing to partner on these issues.”

“To build a truly livable city, we need more homes, plain and simple. But words and sentiments won’t put a roof over New Yorkers’ heads,” said Sara Lind, Chief Strategy Officer at Open Plans. “We know the tools and policies that will work and now is the time to act on them. Open New York’s 2023 agenda is a refreshingly bold plan to bring the housing crisis to an end. Achieving real change will take all of us and we’re glad Open New York is working with like-minded allies to lead the charge for prioritizing people-centered, sustainable housing policy.”

OPEN NEW YORK’S ROADMAP TO SOLVING OUR HOUSING CRISIS

States like Oregon, Washington, Massachusetts, and California have woken up to the reality that addressing the housing crisis requires more than fiddling around the edges of a broken system; it requires housing breakthroughs. That’s why Open New York is releasing a comprehensive state-and-city agenda and building a coalition of groups throughout New York who are fighting against our severe housing affordability crisis.

In 2023, Open New York and its allies will be advocating for a multi-pronged, multi-year agenda to build a future where housing is abundant and stable — finally turning the page on decades of housing scarcity, inequity, and instability:

1. Legalizing “missing middle” housing across the city and state, by enacting significant reforms to the City’s Zoning Resolution that will bring back small homes and apartments in all NYC neighborhoods, and by passing State legislation to end local bans on small homes and apartments.
2. Making the process to build homes faster, cheaper, and easier, by ending parking mandates in NYC, fast-tracking new apartments near rail and bus stations throughout the state, and by removing unnecessary and costly analyses of sustainable housing projects.
3. Ensuring every neighborhood creates new housing opportunities, by releasing local housing production targets in NYC to match the City’s goal of increasing equitable development over the next decade, and by creating a State housing appeals board to overrule local NIMBYism.
4. Empowering tenants with stronger rights and better enforcement of existing laws, by expanding anti-discrimination laws in NYC and by passing State legislation to provide basic rental protections to millions of New Yorkers in currently unregulated apartments.
5. Strengthening government agencies to fast-track social housing, by prioritizing housing and homelessness agencies in the City’s next budget, and by passing State legislation that will increase government’s capacity and flexibility to create and preserve mixed-income, affordable, and social housing.

Open New York’s full agenda with details on all policy planks can be found here.

 

About Open New York

Open New York is a grassroots organization advocating for abundant homes and lower rent. We believe in housing for all and housing of all types. That means we support more social housing, government-subsidized housing, and market-rate housing. We believe that the current housing laws in New York have caused a profound housing shortage, raising rents to historic highs and leading to instability and displacement. For far too long, New York has maintained laws and policies that keep neighborhoods exclusive and property values high at the expense of housing security for everyone. We want New York to be affordable and accessible to everyone, and we organize and advocate for policies that promote more housing supply and renter power. Follow Open New York on Twitter.