City Council Candidate Advocates for a 'City of Yes' as the Key to Manhattan's Housing Future

“Housing is a day-to-day problem and an existential threat to the ability of so many residents to stay in the community they love,” says Jess Coleman, a City Council candidate for Lower Manhattan. “This district is dead last in affordable housing production, and at the same time first place in pedestrian deaths and vacant storefronts.” This stark assessment drives Coleman’s campaign and his strong support for New York’s revolutionary “City of Yes” zoning reforms.

Transforming New York’s Housing Landscape

The City of Yes initiative, which Coleman ardently supports, represents the most significant overhaul of New York’s zoning laws since 1961. The comprehensive package aims to create 80,000 new homes over the next decade, making it the largest affordable housing proposal in the city’s history.

“The beauty of City of Yes is that it is not a one-size-fits-all solution,” Coleman explains. “It is carefully targeted at low, medium, and high-density districts, with different proposals for each.” The initiative includes eliminating costly parking mandates in low-density areas and introducing a 20% zoning bonus for including affordable housing in medium and high-density districts.

Addressing Common Misconceptions

Coleman, a Boston University Law School graduate who recently left his position as a litigator to campaign full-time, addresses a key criticism of the initiative. “The biggest myth that gets spread about this, particularly in my district, is that there’s no affordable housing component to this law,” he explains. Critics argue the law doesn’t guarantee affordable housing, but Coleman notes this stems from constitutional constraints rather than policy choice.

“Unfortunately, you can’t do that (mandate affordable housing requirements) in the United States,” Coleman explains. “We have something called the due process clause and the takings clause. You can’t just take private land and tell developers ‘This is what you have to build on it.'” Instead, he describes how the law creates a pragmatic incentive structure: “What cities do instead is say, ‘Okay, we can’t make you do it, but if you want to build to the maximum capacity on this land, if you want to have the best economics for this project with tax incentives, you have to have 25% affordable housing.'” This approach, working in conjunction with new state tax incentives, is expected to create approximately 20,000 affordable units over the next decade.

Impact on Real Estate Development

For the real estate industry, Coleman suggests the benefits will be modest but meaningful. “Big developers, a lot of the time, can get their projects through anyway,” he notes. “This isn’t a huge boon for developers – it’s a people-driven plan.” The universal affordability preference offering a 20% bonus will make it easier for developers to participate in the 485x tax incentive program, improving project economics while ensuring community benefits.

Beyond Housing: A Comprehensive Vision

Coleman’s platform addresses various urban challenges beyond housing, advocating for integrated solutions as co-chair of Community Board 1’s Transportation Committee. He promotes pedestrian-friendly initiatives like congestion pricing, aims to expand open streets and pedestrian plazas to support local businesses, and seeks to implement trash containerization in dense, mixed-use areas. Additionally, he emphasizes the importance of supporting homeless shelters and transitional housing programs while working to improve street safety in a district with high pedestrian fatalities.

Looking Ahead

The candidate sees City of Yes as just the beginning. Future initiatives may include mapping new R12 districts with higher density caps, expanding transit-oriented development, and exploring innovative ownership models like community land trusts.

“It’s time for people to start taking these issues seriously,” Coleman asserts. “There’s a whole generation for whom housing is their top issue and biggest source of stress and anxiety. The solutions are there for the taking – we just need to be bold about it.”