The Mayor’s City of Yes initiative seeks to amend zoning rules to help the City recover more quickly from the pandemic, to create a greener city, to support small business growth, and to incentivize the creation of housing, at all levels, in all New York City neighborhoods. There are three proposed zoning text amendments that would be part of this initiative:

Zoning for Carbon Neutrality aims to modernize the zoning regulations in support of the City’s climate goals. The changes would focus on supporting a renewable energy grid, making our buildings clean and efficient, support for electric vehicle charging and micro-mobility options, and reducing waste and storm water. The text amendment was formally presented to the New York City Planning Commission on April 24th (you can view the video here), and is now in the public review process. The matter was heard at the May 22nd meeting of the Land Use & Waterfront Committee. The committee decided to vote favorably on Zoning for Carbon Neutrality, and a corresponding resolution on this Text Amendment passed our June Full Board meeting. You can find the resolution here.

Zoning for Economic Opportunity is focused on providing small businesses with the flexibility needed for them to change and grow, especially as the city recovers from the pandemic. The proposals would remove certain limitations on small businesses and ensure that our storefronts are occupied, and our neighborhoods remain lively spaces. There will be a remote information session on Zoom on Tuesday, September 12th starting at 7:00pm. It is expected to run until 8:30pm. Interpreters will be available for American Sign Language, Spanish, Mandarin, and Cantonese. 

If you would like to listen to the live info session, but do not want to ask questions, you can watch the hearing on YouTube here.

To join via Zoom, click to register here.

To join by calling from any phone, dial any of the following numbers:
877-853-5247 (Toll-free) 
888-788-0099 (Toll-free)
213-338-8477 (Toll)
253-215-8782 (Toll) 

Enter the following information when prompted: 
Meeting ID #: 848 3650 2728
Passcode: 1

If you have technical difficulties during the event, please dial either of the above numbers and enter the following information when prompted: 
Meeting ID #: 618 237 7396
Passcode: 1

There was also a public information session on Zoning for Economic Opportunity on June 13th that you can view here, on July 11th that you can view here, and on September 12th that you can find here.

Zoning for Housing Opportunity is a direct response to our City’s housing crisis. This text amendment seeks to ensure that every neighborhood does its part to help meet housing needs and provide equitable access to housing for all New Yorkers.

To learn more about City of Yes, visit the Department of City Planning’s website here. Flyers describing the proposals are directly available here.

The CB6 Transportation Committee announced a project to reimagine a congested segment of 3rd Avenue (from 26th Street to 32nd Street) to increase the amount of sidewalk space available to pedestrians and outdoor dining alike. That way, there isn’t so much competition for tight space. CB6 commissioned Sam Schwartz Engineering to draft a concept plan for widening the sidewalks on this portion of 3rd Avenue, using a CB6 resolution as a guide. You can find Sam Schwartz Engineering’s concepts for the area here. If you live in and around the area, we’d love to hear your feedback on the project! Simply email us your thoughts at info@cbsix.org.