"City of Yes": NYC-NYS Collaboration Expands ADU Pilot Program

"'Mayor Eric Adams on Monday doubled down on a proposal that will make it easier for property owners to build accessory dwelling units, pushing back against backlash from community boards and elected officials in the outer boroughs,' reported The Real Deal. 'The mayor announced additional funding for a pilot program aimed at helping a handful of property owners add backyard cottages or convert their attic or garage into an apartment. The funding itself, a $4 million grant, is a drop in the bucket in terms of the city’s broader housing goals, but Monday’s press conference escalated the mayor’s efforts to get his City of Yes for Housing Opportunity text amendment — including its most controversial provisions — across the finish line.'"

'This is not going to change the neighborhood, you are not going to see a 14-story building in someone’s backyard. We’re not trying to change the character of the neighborhood I grew up in, in St. Albans, in South Jamaica Queens,' he said, responding to the types of criticism of ADUs repeated during a marathon City Planning hearing last month. 'It’s about using the spaces to accommodate families in so many different ways.'"