Opponents of a sweeping blueprint to fuel housing development across New York City are seizing on the political turmoil surrounding Mayor Eric Adams in hopes of tanking the policy proposal as it approaches a full City Council vote later this year.
Many councilmembers will likely seek changes to unpopular parts of the plan or demand deeper funding commitments for their districts in exchange for their votes at a time when multiple investigations are engulfing the Adams administration.
It could be up to Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, a Queens Democrat, to whip votes needed to secure the plan’s passage. A former community board chair, the speaker has made housing a priority during her tenure and introduced legislation last year to set housing targets for every community district in the city.
City of Yes supporters say they’re hopeful about the plan advancing.
“The speaker has been very vocal through her Fair Housing Framework [legislation] that whatever solutions we find to our housing crisis, everyone has to play a role one way or another,” said Citizens Housing and Planning Council Executive Director Howard Slatkin, a former city planning administrator. “Her role only becomes more important in this environment.”
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