Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani met Tuesday morning with an actual property and finance leaders to speak by means of the right way to transfer ahead on his formidable housing agenda amid controversy over his opposition to the present administration’s coverage of clearing homeless encampments from the streets.
Elected largely on a platform of constructing New York Metropolis extra reasonably priced, Mamdani needs to shore up the town’s reasonably priced housing provide in addition to implement a lease freeze for stabilized items.
The Hudson Sq. assembly got here after Mamdani’s stance in opposition to homeless encampment sweeps sparked debate over the weekend, with Gov. Hochul pushing again in assist of them — although the observe didn’t come up on the assembly, in response to Kathy Wylde from the Partnership for New York Metropolis.
“What I spoke about with leaders within the real estate industry was the importance of us reducing the timeline of getting New Yorkers into affordable housing,” Mamdani stated at a cold outside press convention after the assembly.
“The quicker we can fill those units, the fewer New Yorkers we will have living outside.”
Mamdani additionally reiterated his stance in opposition to sweeps of homeless encampments Tuesday, saying that he as a substitute needs to prioritize getting citydwellers into reasonably priced housing.
“I do not think that leaving New Yorkers to sleep in the cold is the answer,” Mamdani stated of the observe of clearing homeless encampments at a press convention.
“I also don’t think that pushing those New Yorkers to sleep elsewhere in an equally cold setting is the answer either. I think the answer is connecting those New Yorkers with housing.”
Mamdani additionally spoke about making shelters safer and due to this fact extra enticing to these sleeping on the streets.
Below Mayor Adams, who began the homeless sweeps coverage shortly after taking workplace, the town has cleared 1000’s of encampments. However a report in The Metropolis discovered the administration has not related any homeless people to everlasting housing in additional than a yr.
The assembly was brokered by Wylde, her predecessor Steven Fulop and Emma Pfohman from the Affiliation for a Higher New York. The attendees included Rob Speyer, CEO of developer Tishman Speyer and Hamilton James, former president and chief working officer of Blackstone, in response to Wylde.
Mamdani stated he additionally deliberate to fulfill with homeless New Yorkers and advocates later Tuesday.
Wylde stated over the telephone that the sit-down was on the books lengthy earlier than the difficulty of homeless sweeps drew extra and was supposed to arrange Mamdani to “hit the ground running on his affordable housing agenda.”
With Chris Sommerfeldt
