N
ew York City mayoral candidate Sen. Zellnor Myrie has unveiled a housing plan aiming to create or preserve one million homes over the next decade. This ambitious goal includes building 700,000 units and preserving 300,000 existing ones. To achieve this, Myrie plans to rezone a larger area of Midtown than proposed by Mayor Eric Adams' administration, dubbed "Mega Midtown," and develop underutilized properties throughout the city.

    Myrie's plan builds upon the City Council's "City of Yes for Housing Opportunity" proposal, which is expected to add 80,000 apartments over the next 15 years. However, Myrie believes this initiative does not go far enough in addressing New York City's housing crisis. He plans to work closely with stakeholders and City Council members to push his plan forward.

    Each component of Myrie's plan could contribute between 50,000 to 95,000 new units. The proposal includes targeting underutilized land for mixed-income, mixed-use neighborhoods and "sandwich rezonings" in areas like Queensbridge and Ravenswood in Western Queens, and South Williamsburg and Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn.

    Pro-housing group Open New York praised Myrie's plan as a bold step towards addressing the city's housing shortage. However, some critics argue that his proposal could undermine the city's stabilization system by allowing "organically vacant units" to be rented to voucher holders without giving tenants or nonprofits the right of first refusal to buy the building.

    Assembly member Zohran Mamdani, who is also running for mayor, has pledged to freeze rents. Myrie plans to appoint board members who prioritize renters' interests and would work towards a rent freeze if elected.