Today the Department of City Planning and Mayor Adams made a historic announcement -- full, citywide elimination of parking mandates is included in the City of Yes Zoning for Housing Opportunity text amendment. This is huge, and something that Open Plans has been working on for years.
Parking mandates require that our new buildings include parking, regardless of whether residents need it or want it. They make affordable housing harder to build, drive up housing costs, spread neighborhoods apart, hamper economic development, pollute our air, make streets more prone to flooding, and worsen our traffic violence crisis. They must go. And today, the Adams administration showed that they understand that.
But this is the beginning of a long road! Now the text amendment enters a lengthy review process, beginning with a public info session on Wednesday, September 27th at 6:30PM. It will be crucial that every New Yorker join together to say that we agree with Mayor Adams - parking mandates "make no sense." Our simple toolkit includes everything you need to participate on the 27th - info on registration, what to expect & what to say.
We need a city that prioritizes people over cars, and restores our choices to built less parking in the many areas of the city where it is not needed or good for the community. Open Plans will continue to work hard to ensure that the Zoning for Housing Opportunity text amendment remains as bold, visionary, and impactful as what's been proposed. We hope you'll join us, too.
