Latest news with #CitizensBudgetCommission
CBS News
an hour ago
- General
- CBS News
New Yorkers are not satisfied with quality of life in NYC, survey finds
New Yorkers say they're not satisfied with quality of life in new survey New Yorkers say they're not satisfied with quality of life in new survey New Yorkers say they're not satisfied with quality of life in new survey New Yorkers are dissatisfied with the quality of life in New York City, according to new data from the Citizens Budget Commission. The recently surveyed residents are sending a clear message: The city isn't delivering enough. New data from the CBC reveals widespread dissatisfaction with quality of life, government services and public safety. Only 34% of New Yorkers rate citywide quality of life as "excellent" or "good," which is a sharp drop from 51% in 2017. Only 27% rate city services positively, plummeting from 44% in 2017. Housing, homelessness and mental health services rate among the worst, and only 42% of residents say they feel safe in their neighborhoods, despite NYPD data showing major crimes are down. NYC mayor race faces 1st debate tonight The survey comes with less than three weeks to the New York City mayoral primary elections, and the race is heating up. Nine democratic candidates will face off Wednesday night on the debate stage, trying to convince voters why they should be the city's next mayor. Recent polling shows Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani are leading the group. The list of contenders also includes Adrienne Adams, Michael Blake, Brad Lander, Zellnor Myrie, Jessica Ramos, Scott Stringer and Whitney Tilson. Political experts believe the debate will touch on topics like crime, immigration, education, congestion pricing and affordable housing. The debate is one of two that will be held before the June 24 primary elections. New York City Mayor Eric Adams will not be taking part, because he is running for reelection as an independent.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NYC quality of life still worse compared to pre-pandemic era, according to new poll of residents
Bad Apple. New Yorkers rate the Big Apple's quality of life — on issues such as public safety, cleanliness and mass transit — significantly worse than the pre-pandemic times and just slightly better than two years ago, a Citizens Budget Commission survey of more than 1,700 residents found. Just over a third of residents said quality of life in the five boroughs was good or excellent — a significant drop from 2017, when about half of New Yorkers surveyed gave it the top rating. The deep level of displeasure regarding crime and government services presents a challenge to whoever the next New York City mayor will be next year, according to the CBC's 'Straight from New Yorkers 2025' poll. '`Straight from New Yorkers 2025′ paints a stark picture: New Yorkers remain much moredissatisfied with the quality of life, City services, and public safety than they were beforethe pandemic,' the business-funded CBC said. 'If New York City is to remain competitive and continue attracting residents and businesses, people have to feel much more positively about many of the aspects of their life in the city.' The quality of life ratings fall considerably below the rankings residents gave in the same survey conducted in 2017 — though it noted some real progress from a more recent post-pandemic 2023 survey. 'The findings about Bronx residents and among Black and Hispanic New Yorkers — where dissatisfaction levels are the highest — are particularly troubling,' CBC said in an analysis of the findings. The poll found: Only 34% of respondents rate the city's quality of life as excellent or good in 2025, a substantial decrease from 51% in 2017 and slightly better than 30% in 2023 The proportion of residents who rate their neighborhood as an excellent or good place to live fell from 63% in 2017 to 56% in 2025, although the rating is higher than 50% in 2023. Only 42% rate public safety in their neighborhood excellent or good — up from 37% in 2023, but still down from 50% in 2017 — even though Mayor Eric Adams this week announced historically low numbers of murders and shootings thus far this year. Subway safety ratings are 'alarmingly low,' despite decreases in serious felony crimes: only 50% of New Yorkers feel safe during the day and only 22% feel safe at night, down substantially from 46% in 2017. Only 27% of residents rate the overall quality of government services as excellent or good, up from 23% in 2023 but lower than 44% in 2017. Just 11% of New Yorkers said their tax dollars are spent wisely, down from 21% in 2017. 36% of respondents said their neighborhoods were clean, up from 34% in 2023 but well below 47% approval in 2017. Subway services were rated 19% lower than in 2017, bus service 11% lower and rat control 18% lower, despite Adams' war on vermin. Residents rate public education 8% lower than in 2017. 'City residents continue to be dissatisfied with many facets of city life and services. The city's post-pandemic satisfaction recovery is nowhere near complete,' the CBC analysis said. Still, there are important bright spots, indicating some post-COVID recovery. For example, ratings for neighborhood parks and ease of travel within the city, have rebounded to 2017 levels. Neighborhood services like libraries, fire protection, and EMS maintain higher ratings, particularly in Manhattan and Staten Island. But there was another troubling trend. Wealthier New Yorkers gave lower grades to the quality of life in their neighborhoods than they did two years ago. As for the future, 55% of New Yorkers plan to remain in the city over the next five years, up from 50% in 2023 but down from 58% in 2017. The top three reasons New Yorkers cite for wanting to flee New York City are lack of affordability (76%), safety concerns (73%), and living space (60%). New Yorkers want the city administration to focus on safety, housing, infrastructure, and cleanliness. The CBC survey of 1,750 city residents was conducted by the data research firm Polco in March and April. It has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
Bloomberg
14 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
NYC Residents Want Safer Streets, Cheaper Housing, Survey Says
A majority of New Yorkers still say the biggest US city needs safer streets and better housing to make it more livable. Just one in three New Yorkers, or 34%, rate the city's quality of life as excellent or good, according to the latest resident survey from the Citizens Budget Commission. That's up slightly from 30% in 2023's survey but less than the 51% in 2017 who gave it high marks.
New York Post
14 hours ago
- Business
- New York Post
NYC quality of life still worse compared to pre-pandemic era, according to new poll of residents
Bad Apple. New Yorkers rate the Big Apple's quality of life — on issues such as public safety, cleanliness and mass transit — significantly worse than the pre-pandemic times and just slightly better than two years ago, a Citizens Budget Commission survey of more than 1,700 residents found. Just over a third of residents said quality of life in the five boroughs was good or excellent — a significant drop from 2017, when about half of New Yorkers surveyed gave it the top rating. 7 Buildings in Midtown Manhattan shine during the sunset on May 31, 2024. Christopher Sadowski The deep level of displeasure regarding crime and government services presents a challenge to whoever the next New York City mayor will be next year, according to the CBC's 'Straight from New Yorkers 2025' poll. '`Straight from New Yorkers 2025′ paints a stark picture: New Yorkers remain much more dissatisfied with the quality of life, City services, and public safety than they were before the pandemic,' the business-funded CBC said. 'If New York City is to remain competitive and continue attracting residents and businesses, people have to feel much more positively about many of the aspects of their life in the city.' The quality of life ratings fall considerably below the rankings residents gave in the same survey conducted in 2017 — though it noted some real progress from a more recent post-pandemic 2023 survey. 'The findings about Bronx residents and among Black and Hispanic New Yorkers — where dissatisfaction levels are the highest — are particularly troubling,' CBC said in an analysis of the findings. 7 Nearly a hundred bags of garbage pile up at the curb for pickup in NYC on Oct. 5, 2024. Christopher Sadowski 7 A homeless man begs for money on the street outside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in NYC on May 21, 2025. AFP via Getty Images The poll found: Only 34% of respondents rate the city's quality of life as excellent or good in 2025, a substantial decrease from 51% in 2017 and slightly better than 30% in 2023 The proportion of residents who rate their neighborhood as an excellent or good place to live fell from 63% in 2017 to 56% in 2025, although the rating is higher than 50% in 2023. Only 42% rate public safety in their neighborhood excellent or good — up from 37% in 2023, but still down from 50% in 2017 — even though Mayor Eric Adams this week announced historically low numbers of murders and shootings thus far this year. Subway safety ratings are 'alarmingly low,' despite decreases in serious felony crimes: only 50% of New Yorkers feel safe during the day and only 22% feel safe at night, down substantially from 46% in 2017. Only 27% of residents rate the overall quality of government services as excellent or good, up from 23% in 2023 but lower than 44% in 2017. Just 11% of New Yorkers said their tax dollars are spent wisely, down from 21% in 2017. 36% of respondents said their neighborhoods were clean, up from 34% in 2023 but well below 47% approval in 2017. Subway services were rated 19% lower than in 2017, bus service 11% lower and rat control 18% lower, despite Adams' war on vermin. Residents rate public education 8% lower than in 2017. 'City residents continue to be dissatisfied with many facets of city life and services. The city's post-pandemic satisfaction recovery is nowhere near complete,' the CBC analysis said. Still, there are important bright spots, indicating some post-COVID recovery. 7 An NYPD officer takes an overnight patrol ride on an L Train on Jan. 21, 2025. Michael Nagle 7 Pedestrians cross Fifth Avenue on Dec. 8, 2024. AFP via Getty Images For example, ratings for neighborhood parks and ease of travel within the city, have rebounded to 2017 levels. Neighborhood services like libraries, fire protection, and EMS maintain higher ratings, particularly in Manhattan and Staten Island. But there was another troubling trend. Wealthier New Yorkers gave lower grades to the quality of life in their neighborhoods than they did two years ago. 7 Mayor Eric Adams attends a press conference inside the Herald Square station to discuss subway safety on March 20, 2025. Matthew McDermott 7 A NYPD patrol car is parked at the scene of a stabbing at Wooster Street and Broome Street in SoHo on April 7, 2025. Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock As for the future, 55% of New Yorkers plan to remain in the city over the next five years, up from 50% in 2023 but down from 58% in 2017. The top three reasons New Yorkers cite for wanting to flee New York City are lack of affordability (76%), safety concerns (73%), and living space (60%). New Yorkers want the city administration to focus on safety, housing, infrastructure, and cleanliness. The CBC survey of 1,750 city residents was conducted by the data research firm Polco in March and April. It has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Watchdog warns of rent-stabilized 'maintenance death spiral'
The nonprofit watchdog Citizens Budget Commission has joined the rising chorus of industry observers — and now independent researchers — calling on the city to step in and address the growing distress afflicting rent-stabilized housing. Unlike NYU's Furman Center, which sent up flares last month but did not propose specific solutions, CBC singled out the entity that needs to act — the Rent Guidelines Board — and steps it could take to avoid a 'maintenance 'death spiral'' in which the expense of repairs exceeds what it would cost to build a whole new building. The 2019 rent law effectively capped revenues, rendering it impossible to recoup the expense of building-wide or apartment-level renovations. The change has driven deferred maintenance. The expiration of J-51 in 2022 then cut another key tool to fund improvements — the program lowered property taxes for owners who made repairs. (The program was revived late last year, though for some owners, the timeline to apply is tight.) Combined, owners working with insufficient revenue have had few routes to fund building maintenance. CBC's Sean Campion proposed the RGB shift operations in two ways. First, the board could increase rents to at least keep pace with inflation, Campion, the nonprofit's housing and economic development director, testified at the RGB's sixth meeting of 2025. Adjustments have historically lagged the annual rise in expenses the board tracks. The RGB does not factor in debt service or big renovations, meaning the deficiency is likely greater than what the numbers show. The preliminary range the board approved last month, which heavily informs the final vote, would increase rents on one-year leases by 4.75 percent at maximum. The board's data found a 6.3 percent hike was needed to match inflation. Second, the board could report on the physical and financial health of regulated buildings. Currently, neither the state nor city is legally required to report on building quality, CBC said, and it's tricky and time-consuming to connect data on a property's violations, unpaid fines or income changes, for example, to its stabilized makeup, age and location. A new report could accomplish that, providing a more granular read on how revenue deficiencies are playing out on the ground, as well as how the level of deterioration varies between stabilization rates and in different areas of the city. As it stands, the board bases its adjustments on the annual change in median net operating income across all rent-regulated buildings — which include newer stock, some stabilized at market rates. It then considers the shift in NOI alongside the consumer price index to spit out a recommended rent adjustment. Property owners and trade groups claim the data fails to isolate the older, entirely rent-stabilized stock, whose owners have struggled to maintain buildings or cover loan payments since the rent law passed. The only route to raise rents is through the RGB's inflation-lagging annual adjustments. By the numbers, a 2025 RGB report found the median income of 100 percent regulated properties built before 1974 citywide was $1,343 per unit; in the Bronx, it was even lower: $1,212. Meanwhile, the cost of running a rent-stabilized building well was about $1,250 a unit, an analysis by nonprofit lender the Community Preservation Corporation found So, if owners do have a cushion — it's about $100. CBC also echoed The Furman Center's warning that neither city programs nor its budget will be able to bear the weight of distress. They can't be scaled to meet the growing need, Campion argued. For example, Third Party Transfer and Neighborhood Pillars, programs that pay nonprofits to rehab buildings, cost the city two-to-four times the value of those buildings, a CBC data analysis found Article XI, which cuts or eliminates property taxes for owners who fix up their properties, helps landlords but eats away at city revenue. The combined cost of Article XI or 420-c — a similar program run by the state — has surged 80 percent since the rent law passed to nearly $900 million, or a little less than 20 percent of the $5.3 billion in tax revenue rental buildings generated during the last fiscal year. As the Furman Center's Mark Willis put it during his testimony in April, 'Unless we vastly increase the amount of budget for subsidized housing, almost all of it is going to have to go to rescuing these buildings.' 'They're pushing the eject button': Related unloads monster rent-stabilized portfolio for $192M — another loss Rent-stabilized shortfalls may grow "exponentially," new data shows Rent board eyes up to 4.75% hike as landlords, tenants despair This article originally appeared on The Real Deal. Click here to read the full story.
