Plan to Add 9,500 Homes to Midtown Expected to Get City Council Approval

New York Times

2 days ago

The City Council on Thursday is expected to pass a plan aimed at invigorating Midtown Manhattan by allowing the development of some 9,500 additional homes, as New York City leaders continue a push to make room for more housing.
The plan targets about 42 blocks across four areas of Midtown and Midtown South where decades-old rules have prevented new residential construction.
The goal, city officials said, is to address New York City's severe housing shortage while also revitalizing a part of the city's business center that has struggled to recover from the pandemic.
'This is one of the biggest leaps forward in creating new housing in Manhattan in quite some time,' said Keith Powers, the Democratic councilman whose district includes some of the targeted areas and who supports the plan.
The housing crisis is one of New York City's most daunting challenges. The share of apartments available to rent is at its lowest level in nearly 60 years, according to the most recent city figures, while rents continue to rise and homelessness remains high.
City leaders have wrestled with how and where to add housing. The administration of Mayor Eric Adams, who is running for re-election in November, pushed through a sweeping plan last year, known as City of Yes, that is allowing more development citywide. His biggest rivals, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, have both pledged to unleash much more construction.
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