Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19 - DECEMBER 19, 2022

Governor Encourages New Yorkers to Keep Using the Tools to Protect Against and Treat COVID-19: Vaccines, Boosters, Testing and Treatment

29 Statewide Deaths Reported on December 16 

 Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combatting COVID-19 and outlined basic steps they can take to protect against the spread of viral respiratory infections that become more common during the cold weather months.

"As New Yorkers gather together this holiday season, I urge everyone to remain vigilant and continue to use all available tools to keep themselves, their loved ones and their communities safe and healthy," Governor Hochul said. "Stay up to date on vaccine doses, and test before gatherings or travel. If you test positive, talk to your doctor about potential treatment options."

Governor Hochul is urging New Yorkers to take common prevention measures — like staying up to date on vaccines and practicing proper hygiene — to protect from Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), the flu and COVID-19 and reduce the patient burden on local hospitals. The Governor recently updated New Yorkers on the state's winter health preparedness efforts. 

Earlier this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and CDC also cleared the way for children six months of age and older to receive the bivalent booster shot to increase protection against COVID-19. Previously, these shots were only available to children ages 5 and older. 

The New York State Department of Health issued a report showing a 19 percent week-over-week jump in lab-confirmed flu cases across New York and week-over-week hospitalizations up 6 percent. Cases of influenza have now been detected in all 62 counties across the state, highlighting the need for New Yorkers to take steps and precautions that will reduce the risk of severe illness for children and adults.  

Governor Hochul previously launched a public awareness campaign featuring New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett speaking directly to New Yorkers about the three viruses now circulating in the state with similar symptoms and the potential to cause serious illness. Produced by the New York State Department of Health, the videos include a short clip and a longer version geared toward parents; and a version aimed specifically at health care providers. 

The Governor also asked New Yorkers to get their bivalent COVID-19 vaccine boosters. To schedule an appointment for a booster, New Yorkers should contact their local pharmacy, county health department, or healthcare provider; visit vaccines.gov; text their ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find nearby locations.   

In addition, Governor Hochul encourages New Yorkers to get their annual flu vaccine as flu season is widespread across New York State. The flu virus and the virus that causes COVID-19 are both circulating, so getting vaccinated against both is the best way to stay healthy and to avoid added stress to the health care system. 

The State Department of Health is continuing its annual public education campaign, reminding adults and parents to get both flu and COVID-19 shots for themselves and children 6 months and older. Advertisements in both English and Spanish language began running last month. 

For information about flu vaccine clinics, contact the local health department or visit vaccines.gov/find-vaccines/. 

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Cases Per 100k - 20.10
• 7-Day Average Cases Per 100k - 28.36
• Test Results Reported - 41,901
• Total Positive - 3,928
• Percent Positive - 8.67%**
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 7.03%**
• Patient Hospitalization - 3,498 (-67)*
• Patients Newly Admitted - 566*
• Patients in ICU - 353 (-11)*
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 151 (-1)*
• Total Discharges - 375,264 (+592)*
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 29*  
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 59, 959*  

** Due to the test reporting policy change by the federal Department of Health and Human Services and several other factors, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.   

The Health Electronic Response Data System is a NYS DOH data source that collects confirmed daily death data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only.   

Important Note: Effective Monday, April 4, the federal Department of Health and Human Services is no longer requiring testing facilities that use COVID-19 rapid antigen tests to report negative results. As a result, New York State's percent positive metric will be computed using only lab-reported PCR results. Positive antigen tests will still be reported to New York State and reporting of new daily cases and cases per 100k will continue to include both PCR and antigen tests. Due to this change and other factors, including changes in testing practices, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.  

• Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 76,392

This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by NYS DOH and NYC to the CDC includes those who died in any location, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, at home, in hospice and other settings.     

Each New York City borough's 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows **:      

Borough	Friday,   Dec.   16, 2022	Saturday,   Dec.   17, 2022	Sunday,   Dec.  18, 2022
Bronx	8.51%	8.45%	8.57%
Kings	4.92%	4.82%	4.83%
New York	7.25%	7.49%	7.64%
Queens	8.95%	8.98%	8.99%
Richmond	6.40%	6.64%	6.70%

MAYOR ADAMS KICKS OFF LANDMARK STUDY TO REIMAGINE CROSS-BRONX EXPRESSWAY

 

Currently a Major Source of Noise and Air Pollution, Cross-Bronx Was Built to Divide Largely Black and Latino Working-Class Neighborhoods

 

With $2 Million Federal Grant, Community-Driven Plan Will Study Decking Highway and Identify Strategies to Reconnect Communities, Address Inequitable Health Outcomes, Expand Open Space, and Increase Safety

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today kicked off a landmark community-driven study to reimagine the Cross-Bronx Expressway, including examining the feasibility of decking sections of the highway. Constructed largely in the 1950s and 1960s, the Cross-Bronx divides the borough, cutting directly through largely Black and Latino working-class neighborhoods — devastating the local communities and economies while bringing significant noise and air pollution that, in turn, has brought elevated asthma rates and other inequitable health outcomes to local residents.

 

Funded by a $2 million U.S. Department of Transportation Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant submitted by the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT), the New York City Department of City Planning (DCP), and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), the community-driven effort will aim to redress negative impacts of the highway on surrounding communities while promoting residents’ health and well-being.

 

“The Cross-Bronx Expressway was a scar carved through the heart of the Bronx, turning bustling streets into ghost towns,” said Mayor Adams. “But 50 years later, we see the resilience of this great borough, and we have an opportunity to make the Bronx whole again. This historic study will allow us to reimagine the entire Cross-Bronx corridor and the communities around it, and we will look at every possible way to reduce pollution and noise, improve safety and sustainability, and reconnect the communities of this borough. Thank you to our city, state, and federal partners for helping us secure this important grant, and we look forward to bringing everyone to the table together with the community to chart a new course for the Bronx.”

 

“Since my first State of the State address, I have made it clear that reconnecting communities divided by infrastructure decisions made generations ago has been a top priority,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul. “I am proud to partner with the mayor on this grant, which will support vital community engagement programming and listening sessions to help reimagine the future of the Cross-Bronx Expressway, an essential component of righting the wrongs made when the Expressway was constructed more than seventy years ago.”

 

A map of air pollution-driven asthma emergency department visits for children under age 18. Credit: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Images from before and after construction of the Cross-Bronx Expressway at Fulton Avenue and East 175^th Street. Credit: Segregation by Design

“With critical support from the Biden administration — and U.S. Transportation Secretary Buttigieg and Deputy Secretary Trottenberg — we are proud to put federal infrastructure dollars to work on this critical project,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “Reconnecting communities torn apart by discriminatory highways and improving air quality for the surrounding community are at the foundation of worthy infrastructure progress.”

 

Formally signed last week by participating agencies, the grant to fund the “Reimagining the Cross-Bronx Expressway” study marks an unprecedented partnership across all levels of government to help undo the damage to Bronx neighborhoods. The study will identify strategies to deck sections of the expressway and create new public open space with pedestrian and bike connections, reconnect communities north and south of the current highway, reduce vehicle emissions and address inequitable public health outcomes across the adjacent communities, improve safety on local streets and along the corridor with a focus on ramps on and off the highway, and more sustainably manage freight and other vehicle traffic.

 

With the two-year RAISE grant, the city and the state will:

• Work closely with residents, community groups, and stakeholders to create a common understanding about community needs, with the first round of community meetings planned to begin in February 2023;
• Create a holistic vision for the Cross-Bronx corridor and develop project ideas based on community input; and
• Present a multiyear plan, by 2024, that includes both near- and long-term project proposals to improve neighborhood conditions around the Cross-Bronx.

 

A vestige of the Robert Moses era, the Cross-Bronx bulldozed through the borough, destroying the homes of approximately 40,000 residents. With an average of 300 diesel trucks using the roadway every hour and tens of thousands of cars per day traveling in each direction, the 220,000 New Yorkers who live near the highway are regularly exposed to elevated levels of noise and air pollution as well as excessive heat. Communities near the highway experience elevated rates of respiratory disease, including asthma, and other chronic disease. Rates of diabetes and hypertension exceed citywide rates by up to 100 percent and 50 percent, respectively, and there are approximately 100 emergency department visits for asthma and about 25 premature deaths due to traffic-related fine particulates (PM2.5) each year.

 

The Cross-Bronx has also become notorious among American interstates, with some of the highest crash and fatality rates. Between 2014 and 2018, an average of 159 injuries occurred each year on streets adjacent to the expressway.

 

“I thank all of our partners in government for coming together to advance this critical project, which addresses so many of the issues of equity that Mayor Adams has identified as the highest priority,” said NYCDOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “Special thanks go to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg, who have made fixing terrible 20^th-century urban highways across the country — and all of their attendant problems — such a real priority. I am confident we can fix the Cross-Bronx and make this a real legacy of our time as public leaders.”

 

“Building the Cross-Bronx Expressway, and dividing connected communities, has had a truly harmful effect on the people of this borough,” said DCP Director and City Planning Commission Chair Dan Garodnick. “It’s time for us to step up and find ways to correct the ills of the past and create a healthier, cleaner, and safer environment for all residents of the Bronx.”

 

“This landmark study will evaluate the needs of the long-underserved communities situated alongside the Cross-Bronx Expressway corridor and help us create more equitable living conditions by identifying actionable ways we can increase safety, improve access to open space, and combat noise, air, and traffic pollution,” said Chief Climate Officer and New York City Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala. “The RAISE grant came out of a productive partnership between city, state, and federal partners, and successful collaboration such as this is essential to accomplishing the generational work of environmental justice.”

 

“For decades, residents of the Cross-Bronx corridor have disproportionately borne the brunt of roadway bifurcation, suffering high rates of heart and lung disease due to vehicle pollution,” said Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice Executive Director Kizzy Charles-Guzmán. “We must change that. Senator Schumer and Representative Torres have taken bold action to advance environmental health and equity while ensuring that community stakeholders are a central part of the process.”

 

“Good health is, in part, a function of the environments in which we live,” said DOHMH Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan. “And infrastructure and transportation shape these environments in ways that can serve to promote health for all or to divide us and reinforce health and social inequities. Reimagining this stretch of the Cross-Bronx Expressway offers a chance to undo disparities created decades ago with its construction and to advance the health of our city and the great borough of the Bronx.”

  

“When it was built over 50 years ago, the Cross-Bronx Expressway tore apart countless neighborhoods — the beating heart of New York City — and the 6.5-mile structure was developed without community consultation nor a single mile’s worth of concern for the city’s most vulnerable residents,” said Julie Tighe, president, New York League of Conservation Voters. “Now, thanks to this $2 million federal RAISE grant and a comprehensive new study — with community perspective — we have the chance to envision a new way forward for the South Bronx. From funding to implementation, the ‘Reimagining the Cross-Bronx Expressway’ study is an inspired example of cross-government coordination, and we’re grateful for the leadership of Governor Hochul, Majority Leader Schumer, Congressmember Torres, and Mayor Adams for making it happen.”

 

“It is not often that we have an opportunity to reverse decades of structural and infrastructural racism that holds back our communities, neighborhoods, and local economies,” said Michael Brady, senior vice president of economic development and policy, Bronx Chamber of Commerce. “Today’s announcement to launch a landmark study to reimagine the Cross-Bronx Expressway will create a community-driven plan and identify strategies for transportation connectivity and sustainability, expand open space, and improve regional commerce. This $2 million investment by the United State Department of Transportation will provide the vehicle for change that has been demanded by our communities for decades.  We are grateful for this down payment on plans to revitalize and reconnect our communities and neighborhoods in the Bronx and position our borough for future economic growth and innovation. We extend our sincere thanks to our congressional leaders and federal partners in the United States Department of Transportation.”

 

Six Individuals Charged in Multimillion-Dollar Transnational Tech Support Scam Targeting Tens of Thousands of U.S. Victims

 

 Five men were charged in an indictment and a New Jersey woman pleaded guilty in connection with a transnational technical support scam that targeted more than 20,000 victims, many of whom were elderly, in the United States and Canada, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today. 

Gagan Lamba, 41, and Harshad Madaan, 34, both of New Delhi, India; Jayant Bhatia, 33, of Ontario, Canada, and Vikash Gupta, 33, of Faridabad, India, are all charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit computer fraud, and substantive violations of wire fraud and computer fraud. Lamba, Madaan, Bhatia, and a fifth defendant, Kulwinder Singh, 34, of Richmond Hill, New York, are also charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, money laundering, and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. Bhatia has been charged with offenses related to his participation in a high-tech fraud scheme.

Authorities in India arrested Madaan on Dec. 14, 2022, and Gupta on Dec. 15, 2022, on local charges for their involvement in the tech support scheme. Lamba remains at large. Bhatia was arrested by Canadian authorities pursuant to a provisional arrest request from the United States. Singh was arrested at his home in New York. Singh made his initial appearance on Dec. 14, 2022, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael A. Hammer in Newark federal court and was released on $100,000 unsecured bond.

A sixth defendant, Meghna Kumar, 50, of Edison, New Jersey, pleaded guilty on Dec. 14, 2022, by videoconference before Judge Hammer to an information charging her with engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity, based on her role in the scheme.

“As alleged in the indictment, the defendants are charged with using access to personal computers to run a high-tech extortion scheme on a global scale,” U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. “They frequently preyed upon senior citizens and scared them into paying for unnecessary and useless computer repair services. Working with our partners here and abroad, we will remain vigilant in protecting our citizens from these kinds of schemes.”

“Tech-support scams, and other consumer fraud schemes that frequently target elderly or vulnerable citizens are particularly egregious crimes,” Acting Inspector in Charge Raimundo Marrero, Newark Field Office, Philadelphia Division, said. “Fraudsters, who often operate from outside the United States, may think they can anonymously infiltrate their victims’ homes and lives through the mail, telephone, or computer – without any consequences. However, let today’s enforcement actions put scammers on notice. Through the investigative efforts of U.S. federal law enforcement, and our international partners, we will work together to pursue those individuals who scam, harass, and steal from our older and respected members of society.”

“Scammers are changing tactics and finding new methods to steal hard-earned money from unsuspecting victims, but it boils down to the same well-worn crime,” FBI Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy said. “This investigation highlights the FBI's and our international partners' work in searching out and bringing these fraudsters to justice. It also shows victims that regardless of where the criminals are sitting, here or in a foreign country, we will hold them accountable using every tool we have.”

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:From 2012 through November 2022, the defendants and others were members of a criminal fraud ring that operated a technical support fraud scheme in the United States, India, and Canada. The scheme targeted victims across the United States and Canada, including New Jersey, many of whom were elderly. 

The primary objective was to trick victims into believing that their personal computers were infected with a virus or malware and then convince the victims to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to the fraud ring for phony computer repair services. Over the course of the conspiracy, the fraud ring generated more than $10 million in proceeds from at least 20,000 victims.

The fraud ring caused fraudulent pop-up windows to appear on victims’ personal computers. The pop-ups were designed, at times, to “freeze” the victims’ computers, which prevented the victims from using or accessing files on their computers. The pop-ups also claimed, falsely, that the victims’ computers were infected with a virus, or otherwise compromised, and directed the victims to call a telephone number to receive technical support.  Sometimes the pop-ups warned victims to not shut down their computers. The pop-ups also included, without authorization, the names of well-known, legitimate technology and antivirus companies. In reality, the pop-ups were a hoax, designed to trick the victims into believing that their computers were infected with viruses that did not actually exist.

Victims who called the technical support phone numbers appearing on the pop-ups were connected to one or more call centers in India associated with the fraud ring. Fraud ring members at the call centers falsely repeated that the victims’ computers were infected with viruses and offered to fix the purported issue for a fee. The fraud ring members would then request permission to remotely access the victims’ computers. Once granted access, fraud ring members would, at times, download and run a freely available adblocker tool, advise the victim that the “issue” had been resolved, and then leave a text file on the desktop of the computer with payment instructions.

Victims were instructed to pay the fraud ring in amounts ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars by: (a) electronically scanning checks made payable to one of several shell companies set up by the fraud ring and (b) sending, via FedEx, physical checks to addresses maintained by Singh and Kumar in New Jersey. The fraud ring often contacted certain victims again to offer additional services or lengthier service agreements that required victims to pay even more money to the fraud ring.

The wire fraud and computer fraud charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross amount of gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest The money laundering charges carry a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved, whichever is greater. The transacting in criminal proceeds charges carry a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction, whichever is greater. 

U.S. Attorney Sellinger postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Newark, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Raimundo Marrero, Philadelphia Division, and special agents of the FBI, including the FBI’s Cyber Crimes Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation. He also thanked the Department of Justice Office of International Affairs, the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation, and the Delhi Police for their assistance.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. 

New Jersey Man Arrested on Felony and Misdemeanor Charges For Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

 

Defendant Accused of Assaulting Officer

 A New Jersey man has been arrested on felony charges, including assaulting a law enforcement officer, for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

Peter Michael Krill, 54, of Sewell, New Jersey, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with two felonies: assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers; and civil disorder; and four misdemeanors: knowingly entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct in a capitol building; and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

Krill was arrested in Sewell, NJ. He made his initial appearance in the District of New Jersey.

According to court documents, law enforcement officers reviewed footage from the body worn cameras (“BWC”) of Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers present at the U.S. Capitol. At approximately 1:35 pm, an individual later identified as Krill can be seen in the BWC footage grabbing the barricade and pulling it away from the officers, briefly allowing a group of protesters to push into the officers before being pushed back behind the barricade.

Law enforcement officers also reviewed surveillance video from cameras mounted within the U.S. Capitol Building and observed an individual, later identified as Krill, entering the U.S. Capitol Building from the Upper West Terrace door at approximately 2:36 p.m. EST and exiting the U.S. Capitol Building from the east side of the Capitol at approximately 3:23 p.m. EST.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office South Jersey Resident Agency and the FBI’s Washington Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

In the 23 months since Jan. 6, 2021, close to 900 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 270 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing. 

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Speaker Adams Announces Fair Housing Framework Law for Nation’s Largest City to Increase Affordable Housing, Paired with Actions to Improve Land Use Process, Deepen Affordability, and Strengthen Preservation in Confronting Housing Crisis

 

Speaker’s Planning & Land Use Toolkit and Housing Agenda offer comprehensive actions to tackle affordable housing shortage with equitable and responsible development

New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams released her Housing Agenda to Confront the City’s Crisis and announced plans for the Council to pass legislation establishing a citywide Fair Housing Framework with targeted goals for each community district, ensuring every neighborhood contributes fairly to building affordable housing in the nation’s largest city. It would help address historic disparities in housing production and neighborhood investment that have often exempted highly resourced neighborhoods from affordable housing development in New York and cities across the nation. The Fair Housing Framework legislation would position New York City as a national example for equitable housing development, as it faces a dire housing crisis. The Housing Agenda also outlined actions the City must take to deepen affordability, preserve housing, and restore support for city agencies to better meet the greatest housing needs of New Yorkers.

The agenda was accompanied by a Planning and Land Use Toolkit to improve the City’s land use process by establishing principled guidance and tools to advance comprehensive planning that promotes successful development. It is designed to assist Council members, community members, land use applicants and the City in achieving successful outcomes that balance citywide housing goals with neighborhood needs in development.

Together, the agenda and toolkit provide concrete actions the City must take to confront New York City’s housing crisis, caused by an affordable housing shortage that has raised rents to historic highs amidst population growth far outpacing housing production.

“It’s no secret that New York City is facing a housing crisis that disproportionately burdens those who need affordable housing at the deepest levels,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams. “To meet this crisis head-on, we must build more housing with a Fair Housing Framework, focus on deepening affordability, and prioritize preservation of our housing stock. Every district must participate in solving this crisis to ensure that affordable housing development is distributed equitably across our city. I am confident that a commitment to equitable and responsible housing development will bring a new chapter in New York City, where all New Yorkers have a real chance at building their legacy in this great city.”

The Housing Agenda includes the following:

1. Increasing Housing Production with a Fair Housing Framework

• Pass citywide Fair Housing Framework legislation to require more detailed housing production, preservation, voucher, and neighborhood investment goals for each Community District based on factors that include access to opportunity, infrastructure capacity, and displacement risk.

• Shape and enact the Administration’s “Zoning for Housing Opportunity” citywide zoning text amendment to remove regulatory barriers to housing production in high-opportunity neighborhoods and address the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s (HPD’s) lack of financing to facilitate subsidized affordable housing in high-opportunity neighborhoods.

• Advocate repeal of New York State’s 12 Floor Area Ratio cap on residential development in order to further unlock the potential for new affordable housing in the highest density areas, like midtown Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn where affordable Mandatory Inclusionary Housing is not currently mapped.

• Advocate for HPD to set increased citywide production targets for extremely low-income (30% AMI or less) and very low-income (50% AMI or less) households that are the most cost-burdened and housing-deficient.

2. Deepening Housing Affordability

• Pursue a new city-state New York/New York agreement to build more supportive housing that helps provide stability for New Yorkers with addiction or mental health challenges, who are formerly homeless, living with HIV/AIDS, or returning from the justice system.

• Expand citywide acceptance and use of rental housing vouchers, increasing number of market-rate units in developments dedicated for New Yorkers with housing vouchers.

• Increase opportunities to make homeownership affordable to working families by adjusting HPD’s Open Door Program so that it targets families earning less than $100,000 per year with expanded down payment assistance.

• Collaboratively advocate with the Congressional Delegation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development to update AMI calculations to account for inflation and rising costs.

3. Preserving Affordable Housing

• Advance legislation and policy changes at the city and state levels to address the problem of vacant affordable housing units, particularly rent-regulated units.

• Advocate for the Administration to prioritize additional resources and solutions to management challenges at the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) that curb delays of needed capital repairs and the deterioration of building conditions.

• Expand funding and improve effectiveness of HPD’s “Neighborhood Pillars” and “Landlord Ambassador” preservation programs for renters, and HomeFix and the Homeowner Help Desk programs that support working-class homeowners at risk of housing instability.

• Advocate and work with the State to advance joint legislation, programs and regulatory changes that will help make basement apartments safe and sustainable as affordable housing.

4. Restoring Capacity for Housing Agencies & Staff

• Advocate and prioritize legislative oversight and accountability to secure adequate support and management changes from the Administration that allows housing agencies to hire and retain staff that resolves understaffing and access adequate resources.

• Continue advocating for the Administration to dedicate increased capital funds for affordable housing, with a combined additional $1.5 billion each year for a total annual commitment of $2.5 billion for HPD and $1.5 billion for NYCHA.

The Planning and Land Use Toolkit consists of six major areas to address planning challenges with essential considerations for stakeholders:

1. Elevating community engagement and addressing citywide needs. Expanding participation and input from diverse stakeholders at the neighborhood level in the process – in frequency, depth, and inclusivity. Balancing local input with long-term citywide goals and needs can elevate the role of planning for communities and the city, beyond specific projects and initiatives.
2. Advancing fair housing and increasing affordability. Every district must participate in solving our housing crisis with affordable housing development. Though not every project can be 100 percent affordable, we should strive to maximize affordability. And we must address the racial disparities in access to affordable housing. Prioritizing affordability beyond Mandatory Inclusionary Housing, while preserving existing affordable housing, can help residents remain in their communities.
3. Supporting equitable economic development. New developments can create long-term economic opportunities. Projects should provide jobs that come with good benefits and wages. Work with local communities to identify needs, like increased access to fresh groceries, and work to accommodate community-based businesses in new commercial spaces.
4. Improving open space and streets for All New Yorkers. Our public spaces are sacred places of gathering and communal living. But low-income New Yorkers and communities of color disproportionately lack access to open and green spaces. We must plan holistically for open spaces and safe streets on a neighborhood-wide level, encouraging greater coordination with the Department of Transportation, the Parks Department, and other agencies.
5. Adapting to climate change and transitioning to green energy. As we build, we must do so in ways that help reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and private transportation. New York City should incentivize the use of green energy and prioritize public transit access in development.
6. Ensuring equitable access to healthcare, education, and essential services. We must proactively plan to increase access to healthcare and essential services, particularly in neighborhoods that have suffered from historic underinvestment. The health of a community relies on participation of all its members, so we must encourage planning for intergenerational services, like childcare, schools and senior centers, wherever possible.

The release of the Housing Agenda and Planning Toolkit follows the Council’s leadership to approve significant housing development projects with deep affordability. Since the beginning of the year, the Council has approved over 40 projects to create more than 12,000 units of housing, with more than 60 percent being affordable. This includes the Bruckner Rezoning in Council Member Velazquez’s district, Hallets North in Council Member Caban’s district, Innovation QNS, and Innovative Urban Village in Council Member Barron’s district.

Housing production is failing to keep pace with New Yorkers’ need for homes, contributing to a growing affordability crisis. From 2010 – 2020, New York City built only about 200,000 new housing units, while gaining nearly 630,000 new residents and nearly one million jobs. This rate of production lags far behind most other large growing cities. Only 16% of affordable units produced in New York City since 2014 are for extremely low-income households, who face some of the greatest housing challenges, despite their representing 34% of New York City renters.