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Published on January 24, 2025
New York City Proposes Rezoning Midtown to Add 10,000 Apartments Amid Housing CrisisSource: Wikipedia/Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

New York City's ambitious plan to combat a deepening housing crisis is now turning its sights on Midtown Manhattan, with a proposal that paves the way for nearly 10,000 new apartments in an area traditionally dominated by commercial buildings. The area, spanning 42 blocks, is eyed for a transformative rezoning that would permit the construction of housing, including affordable units, in a bid to invigorate the district, which has struggled to rebound post-pandemic, according to The New York Times.

Perhaps mirroring the measures taken in the past to revitalize Lower Manhattan, city planners are keen to see Midtown experience a residential boom; City Planning Director Dan Garodnick called the lack of current residential capacity "unfathomable," given its centrality and transit richness which includes the proximity to Penn Station and an array of subway lines, however, the intricacies of rezoning could change the face of this neighborhood in manifold ways sparking contrasting reactions from various quarters. The plan, requiring City Council approval, anticipates creating up to 2,800 affordable housing units, as told by Garodnick in a Gothamist interview.

Mayor Eric Adams, who has set a goal of 100,000 new homes in Manhattan over the next ten years, supports the initiative as a means of fostering "vibrant 24/7 space, affordable housing, and inclusive, dynamic public realm opportunities," as noted by The New York Times. The undertaking is aligned with recent legislative changes at the state level that favor larger residential developments and the conversion of office spaces hampered by the commercial market's downturn. It is part of concerted efforts citywide to enhance development prospects and abate a housing shortage that has ratcheted up living costs significantly.

Despite garnering political backing and presenting an ostensibly lucrative canvas for residential development, the plan has not eschewed criticism, with community members like John Mudd, president of the Midtown South Community Council, questioning the real beneficiaries of the rezoning; Mudd cast doubt on the plan's ability to address homelessness and housing affordability, expressing a broader skepticism about the city's alignment with the interests of private developers over those of the general populace, critics argue it's yet another scheme that hands valuable city landscapes over to development interests without adequately addressing the housing needs of low-income New Yorkers as per The New York Times.