By Jean Brannum and Celia Bernhardt | news@queensledger.com

The City of Yes for Housing Opportunity got a marathon of a public hearing on July 10, with residents and representatives testifying to the City Planning Commission for over 12 hours.  

The third section of the Adams administration’s three-part City of Yes plan (with other proposals addressing climate and commercial businesses), City of Yes for Housing Opportunity includes a broad set of zoning and policy changes that would allow “a little more housing in every neighborhood.” 

Last week’s meeting was part of a larger public review phase for the housing proposal, where borough presidents and community boards can weigh in and suggest alterations. The next step after public review concludes is a binding vote from the City Planning Commission; following that, the City Council can vote to either approve, modify, or deny the plan. That final vote is expected to take place before the end of 2024. 

Many residents of Queens and Brooklyn expressed concerns about suburban neighborhoods losing their quiet environment. Some residents are worried that the population increase will exacerbate existing issues in the neighborhood. 

“Let us be clear about what this housing proposal does in fact represent: A little more Manhattan in every neighborhood,” said John Sheridan, a City Island resident who also said the changes would cause neighborhoods to lose their unique characteristics. 

On the flip side, many in the meeting argued that the changes are needed to create more affordable housing options. Vice President of Policy at TechNYC and former City Council member Marjorie Velasquez explained how the lack of affordable housing keeps potential talent out of the technology industries.

“Young professionals, even those with promising careers, are priced out of the market, forcing them to relocate or furlough living in New York City,” Velasquez said. “We want people building technology in New York City and build their families here.”

One of the most outspoken critics of the City of Yes was Councilmember Vicky Paladino, whose district includes College Point, Douglaston, and North Flushing. She said the city has pushed the proposed zoning changes “like a freight train” and said it would be better to have a pilot program for the changes. 

Paladino compared the process of the City of Yes to the legalization of cannabis, saying that the quick legalization process led to multiple smoke shops popping up around the city. 

Department of City Planning Director Daniel Garodnick argued with Paladino saying that 50% of the people in her district are rent-burdened, which means people pay more than 30% of their income towards housing. Paladino replied that her district is affordable due to Co-op apartments and condos. 

A map of community districts shows some neighborhoods in Paladino’s district built between 2,000 and 4,000 new buildings between 2010 and 2023. A section including the Douglaston area shows between zero and 2,000 new buildings. 

Carol Mccarthy from the Douglaston Civic Association said that only developers would benefit from the proposal and that no affordable housing would be built. Mccarthy also said that if the City of Yes passes, then Douglaston would consider seceding from New York City. 

“If passed we will be forced to consider the real possibility of secession from the city of New York,” Mccarthy said. “This can be done and it will be done if necessary. We have the means to do it”

Another disagreement ensued between Paul Graziano — an urban planner at the forefront of advocacy against the housing proposal — and the City Planning director. Graziano argued that increasing housing density would be “apocalyptic” due to the increase in number of people living in areas built for single-family homes. He also said that the population of New York City has not changed since 1960. According to city data and census data, the population of the city has increased since 1960 by about 1 million. 

Graziano’s other point was that the city already allows for more housing to be built, so there is no need to loosen restrictions more. Graziano claims the current zoning laws allow housing for up to 20 million people to be built now. 

“I am tired of listening to the propaganda from the City Planning Commission and Department of City Planning,” Graziano said. “You’ve heard the voices of the folks from outside of Manhattan, from the community boards, as well as the civic organizations. And if you persist in going forward with this, there will be consequences to this and we’ll find out what they are.”

Garodnick said that this has been brought up at other community board meetings and said it indicated a “fundamental misunderstanding of how zoning works.” 

According to Garodnick, land zones are rarely completely utilized due to existing buildings and finances among other reasons. He also said that the proposal would not eliminate single-family homes. Gardonkick used his response to also say that people should stick to the facts during the hearing. One person from the crowd told the committee to “stop lying” though it is not clear what they were referring to. 

The Department of City Planning will vote on the proposed changes in September. In the meantime, New Yorkers can make public statements at the next public hearing on July 24. 

By Celia Bernhardt | cbernhardt@queensledger.com

The air was tense in a local Bed-Stuy haunt where Eon Huntley’s team gathered on election night. Canvassers stood stiff around the bar, refreshing the election results repeatedly as ballot counts came in. It became clear fairly quickly that Huntley was not going to catch up to Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman’s lead. 

Stephen Wood, a volunteer with Huntley’s campaign, said he had already braced himself for such an outcome.  

“I mean, we always expect the establishment to pull out all the stops and throw the kitchen sink at us […] I don’t think in any DSA race in history people have gone into it thinking they’re gonna run away with it,” Wood said. “I think everyone probably comes into nights like this pretty much expecting… this, honestly. People have been around, anyway.”

Huntley, a political newcomer and upstart backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, campaigned hard for months in an attempt to unseat two-term incumbent Assemblymember Zinerman in Bed-Stuy’s Assembly District 56. The election was one of several hotly contested Assembly primaries in the city where Solidarity PAC, a pro-Israel group with significant real estate ties — as well as various Super PACs with charter school and real estate interests — spent heavily against DSA candidates. Huntley and his supporters were intensely critical of Zinerman’s funding. Zinerman, meanwhile, levied plenty of critiques about Huntley living technically just outside of the district’s boundaries and having a majority-white team of staffers. Power players in Black Brooklyn’s political establishment — Congressman Hakeen Jeffries, Attorney General Leitita James, and others — rallied strongly behind Zinerman, a moderate Democrat. 

The contentious battle for Central Brooklyn was ultimately decided by less than 8,200 ballots, with Zinerman winning approximately 500 more than Huntley.

Huntley arrived at the party to give a concession speech just before 11 p.m., entering the backyard of the bar to a wave of cheers from the crowd. In his speech, he took the opportunity to highlight the support his opponent had consolidated from Brooklyn’s political establishment. 

“Look how Hakeem Jeffries — a person I voted for before, to be clear — was shook! I never said nothing about this guy before, but he hates people that are to the left of him — us. People who are actually representing real working class politics,” Huntley said. 

Congressman Jeffries was deeply invested in preventing DSA victory within his district; the AD 56 race was often referred to as a “proxy battle” for Jeffries in media coverage, especially as DSA State Senator Jabari Brisport campaigned hard in support of Huntley. A mid-June article from Politico suggested that Congresswoman Alexandria Occasio-Cortez, who doled out multiple endorsements of DSA candidates in hot races around the city, withheld support for Huntley as a gesture of respect to Jeffries. 

Huntley spoke about Jeffries’ possible influence in no uncertain terms. 

“We had [Jeffries] against us, we had Tisch James,” Huntley continued. “He weighed in to line people up — to have AOC sit out. All these things and we still came this close.”

Brisport, a staunch ally of Huntley, was at the party. 

“We had a real opportunity to elect a people’s champion that is accountable to everyday people in the community, and not millionaires and billionaires,” he said. “I will always stand by candidates like that.”

In addition to opposition from Black Brooklyn power players, Huntley’s campaign may have suffered from the disproportionate whiteness of its staff — especially in an area like Bed-Stuy, where young white faces are synonymous with gentrification. That was a key criticism from Zinerman’s supporters as competition intensified. 

Huntley supporter Etophia Lane, who has lived in Bed-Stuy since 1987, said that Zinerman also had the advantage of more name recognition in the community. 

“Name recognition, and also friends — and she has a lot of family friends,” Lane said. “Alliances with churches.” 

Despite the defeat, Wood said he had plenty of hope for a different outcome in the future. 

“A lot of DSA successes and a lot of our bases of power are places where we didn’t get over 50% the first time,” Wood said. 

Towards the end of his speech, Huntley unfurled a Palestinian flag passed to him by a campaign staffer to chants and cheers from the crowd. 

Congressman Jamaal Bowman, who emphasized a progressive stance on Gaza in his race against George Latimer, had already suffered a bruising loss that night — undoubtedly a point of pain for the Huntley supporters in attendance. Huntley was adamant throughout his campaign that “Palestine is on the ballot,” and took plenty of opportunities to criticize Zinerman for accepting support from Solidarity PAC and remaining relatively quiet on the topic of Gaza. 

Asked whether politics remained in his future, Huntley answered in the affirmative.

“I truly believe in effecting change. I didn’t just run on a whim, so I’m not just gonna give up. I don’t know exactly what the future holds, but it’s very much about thinking about what I’ve done and building off those relationships, and thinking about how I can also try again to deliver for our community as an elected official,” Huntley said. 

“There’s no grand plan that’s already lined up in the future,” he added. “I mean, I gotta go to work next week. I am a retail worker.” 

By Celia Bernhardt | cbernhardt@queensledger.com

The Brooklyn Downtown Star visited an early voting site in Bedford-Stuyvesant, where a contentious race between Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman and DSA upstart Eon Huntley is playing out. We spoke with passersby about election season and the issues that matter to them.

One 58-year old voter, who preferred to remain anonymous, said she has lived in Bed-Stuy for two years. 

Which issues are most important to you when thinking about who to vote for? 

“Education and safety. I want to see [you] say what you mean and mean what you say. And unfortunately, I feel like you’ve been in office for four years and you have not said what you meant and meant what you said. So right now, we need a change, and I think Eon’s the change. […] I’ll be two years [in Bed-Stuy] in August, but I’m very active in my community, and I believe in community. And right now I feel like she’s been here for four years and she hasn’t done anything. And the thing is, if Eon doesn’t do his job, we’ll put [him] out and move the next person in! I mean, it’s all about community. Eon to me is a fresh face, and I think he’s what we need right now. Because we need someone who can navigate all people.” 

Sheryl Watkins, 76, has lived in the neighborhood for 45 years. 

Which issues are most important to you when thinking about who to vote for? 

“Safety is important. That is the primary thing.” 

What kind of policies do you look for on safety? 

“Police presence — fair police presence. And our politicians not to come out just when it’s election time, and then you don’t see them anymore for two years. That’s a big peeve of mine.”

Do you know who you’re voting for in the Assembly election? 

“Yes, I do, but I’m not going to say. I voted already — I voted last Sunday. It’s important that people vote.  A lot of people died in my generation and older for the ability to vote, and it’s important that we do. And I wish that a lot of young people would vote as well. You know, they don’t like the candidates, a lot of the candidates, but it’s best to vote for someone you like the most out of the two you like the least.”

Tess Johnson, 32, recently moved to the district. She has not yet updated her voting registration, so she’ll be visiting Astoria, where she used to live, to cast her vote. 

Which issues are most important to you when thinking about who to vote for? 

“Maintaining some resemblance of a democracy — not that we actually really have a complete democracy. Abortion rights and the economy, I guess. […] The education stuff that’s going on here, funding that more. But I haven’t kept up with local stuff.”

Is there any particular reason you haven’t?

“Well, I mean, I guess the biggest thing is just being burnt out from work and life and not putting the energy and effort into changing things. It’s like, keeping up with paying the bills, and I guess it comes down to the economy and inflation being so high. The day-to-day is difficult. But that is not an excuse — I am disappointed in myself right now for not keeping up with them, because these local elections matter the most. So I can’t be, in a way, like complaining about certain things when I’m not doing my due diligence right now.”

Gabi Farley, 24, moved to the neighborhood one year ago. She is not registered to vote in the district, and so has not been keeping up with the election.

What would be important to you if you were choosing who to vote for in a State Assembly election? 

“Definitely education and housing. I’m a preschool teacher, so education is really important to me — I teach preschool in DUMBO. […] But in general, I think education is really important. Housing and healthcare are really important to me.” 

Are there any policy issues with education that are on your mind? 

“I think the arts and education. I think arts are really important, and I think that anybody trying to cut funding for the arts is not for me. Children need art, it’s a really good way for them to express themselves.”

One 50-year-old campaign staffer handing out palm cards for Assemblymember Zinerman, who preferred to remain anonymous, said he has lived in the neighborhood his whole life. 

What made you get involved with the campaign? 

“I like that I get to get out and interact with other people and try to convince them to vote for the right candidate.”

Why is Zinerman the right candidate? 

“It’s a few things. I don’t know how weird this sounds, but I trust her. That’s kind of a hard thing to do — put your trust in people. I trust her to do the right thing.”

What makes you trust her?

“Well, normally, I get a bad vibe, and I haven’t gotten any bad vibes from here. And I gotta say, you know, it’s hope [that] somebody can do something and change the way things are around here.”

What needs to change? 

“Police harassing people for no reason — things like that. [I want to] be able to come outside and not worry about too much of anything happening wrong.”