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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline JUNE 05, 2026 | The Indian Eye 20

Mayor Mamdani Highlights Housing Production

Agenda in Block by Block as Support for Plan Grows

Public Advocate Williams, four Borough Presidents, labor leaders and housing groups back the plan

OUR BUREAU administration will create New York
City’s first revolving loan fund to help
NEW YORK, NY
affordable housing financing go fur-
ayor Zohran Kwame has ther and unlock private investment.
highlighted key elements The administration is also con-
Mof the administration’s his- tinuing implementation of Executive
toric housing plan, Block by Block, Orders 4 and 5, signed on the Mayor’s
focused on building the new housing first day in office, to accelerate hous-
New Yorkers urgently need. ing development and expand afford-
The plan charts a path to create able housing on City-owned land.
200,000 new affordable homes over Through reforms proposed
the next decade, including through by the Streamlining Procedures to
direct investment in affordable hous- Expedite Equitable Development
ing for low-income New Yorkers, in- (SPEED) Task Force – including SE-
novative financing tools and process QRA reform in the newly-approved
reforms to help public dollars go fur- state budget – the City will cut eight
ther. It also advances an ambitious months from the development time-
land-use agenda to create more hous- line for all affordable housing proj-
ing of all kinds across New York City. ects and as much as two years for
Block by Block is paired with a projects requiring rezonings.
nearly $5 billion investment over the The plan also outlines strategies
next two years for new rent-stabilized neighborhood is a part of that growth. is driving its affordability crisis, and to maximize the use of City-owned
affordable housing, including dedi- With a historic investment in afford- that meeting this moment requires land for both 100% affordable and
cated commitments to affordable se- able housing and an ambitious land ambitious land use action,” said Sid- mixed-income housing, including
nior housing and supportive housing. use agenda including new tools sup- eya Sherman, Director of the Depart- housing co-located with public facili-
Support for the plan has contin- ported by voters, we can turn the tide ment of City Planning. “By advancing ties such as libraries and schools.
ued to grow since its release, includ- on our housing challenges and ensure neighborhood plans that mandate af- “No single tool will get our city out
ing endorsements from New York that New Yorkers have the options fordability, using new voter-approved of its housing crisis. I commend the
City Public Advocate Jumaane Wil- they need, whether they are looking tools like the Affordable Housing Fast administration for a framework that
liams, four Borough Presidents, labor to grow their family, age in place or Track, and unlocking more homes uses so many of the tools available:
leaders, housing organizations and move closer to family,” said Leila Bo- near transit across the city, we will give recognizing that we need to not only
tenant advocates. zorg, Deputy Mayor for Housing and New Yorkers more housing options build but preserve units, setting in-
“New Yorkers deserve a housing Planning. of all types and create a fairer, more come-targeted affordability goals, and
plan that meets this crisis with am- “Every day, rents rise and our affordable city for people to live in.” prioritizing investment in NYCHA.
bition, scale and urgency it demands. neighbors are pushed out of this city— Through Block by Block, the In addition, this strategy centers not
If we want New York City to remain simply because there aren’t enough Mamdani administration is advancing only quantity, but quality – increas-
a place where working people can homes. Fixing that means building an ambitious land-use agenda, that ing the availability of HPD enforce-
afford to live and build a future, we more housing: we’re planning to includes a citywide transit-oriented ment to correct poor conditions and
have to build far more housing and create a record 200,000 affordable development proposal to meaningful- supporting homeless New Yorkers as
give New Yorkers housing options of homes over the next decade, across ly increase housing near public transit, they seek permanent housing,” said
all types, across the entire city. Block every single neighborhood,” said giving New Yorkers greater access to Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.
by Block is an all-of-the-above strate- Housing Commissioner Dina Levy. all the city has to offer. “Meeting the scale of our housing
gy to deliver the homes New Yorkers “Block by Block is an ambitious vision The plan also incorporates new and homelessness crisis means going
need , including 200,000 new afford- of a more affordable city, where every land-use tools approved by voters in borough by borough, block by block
able homes over the next decade,” New Yorker has the chance to rent or November that are speeding up the to meet the needs of both individual
said Mayor Mamdani. own a home they can afford, in the development of affordable housing communities and our entire city, and
“We cannot become a more af- neighborhood they want.” and ensuring every neighborhood I look ahead to engaging in that criti-
fordable city without building a lot “Block by Block recognizes that contributes to the city’s housing cal effort as this framework begins to
more housing and ensuring that every New York City’s housing shortage growth. In addition, the Mamdani shape our neighborhoods.”

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