Mayor Bill de Blasio has high hopes when it comes to New York City's affordable housing plan but several Manhattan community board members and lawmakers "cast a symbolic vote against two city-wide zoning changes" proposed by the mayor.
According to gothamist.com, Borough President Gale Brewer said "I hope the roadmap set out by our Manhattan Borough Board today will lead to major changes. These plans need major changes before we can accept them."
However, board's votes don't have a bearing on the plans' future and it relies on City Planning Commission and City Council votes.
De Blasio has two rezoning plans: Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning and Zoning for Quality and Affordability. The former requires "that 25-30% of apartments in new developments be permanently affordable" while the latter "focuses on generating more affordable senior housing and care facilities, as well as allowing for taller building heights."
Due to the board's members' vote against his rezoning plans, De Blasio stands firm on his rezoning plans and called those who opposes him as "doubting Thomases."
In a report by observer.com, De Blasio also thinks that neighborhood advisory panels are not inclined with his programs for the city. He said, "Those advisory votes are meaningful but they aren't the final word. And look, we also know that community boards are often negatively, you know, when it comes to anything that might be new development in the community, often negatively disposed. That's not a newsflash, we know that."
The board's votes are only suggestions but it "reflects the beliefs of the local council members and borough president, since they jointly pick who sits on the panel in each area" and the boards in the boroughs of Manhattan and Bronx are already not in favor of the mayor's plan.
The mayor have already anticipated that some of the community board members will not be in favor of his plans but he intends on pursuing it anyway.
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