Community boards from all five New York City boroughs dumped Mayor Bill de Blasio's proposal for affordable housing.
The boards rejected the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing plan which would require all developers to set aside 20 percent to 30 percent of the floor area in a new residential development. De Blasio's signature proposal states that such floor area will be allocated to affordable housing that is within reach of a family of three earning an annual income of $62,150.
In exchange of the developers' commitment, De Blasio will rezone entire neighborhoods to allow builders to build taller and bigger buildings. Unfortunately for the mayor, all the boards also scrapped his Zoning for Quality Affordability proposal.
Neighborhood leaders from all five boroughs blasted De Blasio's proposals believing that they will serve rich developers instead of struggling families. They think that the housing plan is unaffordable to thousands of families who make less than $62,150 a year, and called the mayor's zoning plan a "give-away" to developers that would overwhelm neighborhoods, drive up rents and force out lower-income residents.
The borough presidents of the Bronx, Ruben Diaz Jr. and Queens, Melinda Katz, gave their thumbs down to both plans while Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer approved of De Blasio's housing plan but rejected the zoning proposal.
This move from all five boroughs forced De Blasio to defend his plan to City Council members, many of whom have expressed their negative opinions about both proposals. He insisted that his affordable housing campaign was "on track" and that once he will explain the details, his critics would become his teammates.
"There's plenty of leaders in this city who do embrace this vision. You've seen more and more organizations coming forward to support the affordable housing plan," De Blasio said last December 21 in a sit-down with reporters at the New York City Hall.
