Mayor Bill de Blasio is taking a victory lap after the City Council gave the green light to his ambitious and controversial affordable housing plan. NY1's Courtney Gross spoke with de Blasio one on one and filed the following report.
It was a victory lap for Mayor Bill de Blasio, celebrating what some have called the biggest legislative achievement of his tenure so far.
"Now, the city of New York is taking control of the situation. We now have a law that requires developers to create affordable housing," de Blasio said.
On Tuesday, the City Council approved two major portions of the mayor's affordable housing plan. One proposal would force developers to build affordable housing in certain neighborhoods that will be rezoned. The other allows developers to construct taller buildings in residential neighborhoods and reduces parking requirements for affordable and senior housing.
Both proposals faced serious opposition just months ago.
"I know there were people who had real concerns. We tried to address the concerns in the legislative process," de Blasio said. "In the end, we got almost 80 percent of the votes in the City Council. In New York City, that's a pretty amazing consensus.
Still, there is a hurdle for the mayor. A state tax subsidy program for residential development, known as 421-a, has expired. It needs approval by state lawmakers.
de Blasio: Albany can do that, and they can do that this spring, and then we can create even more affordable housing for people here.
Gross: Have you spoken to the governor about 421-a?
de Blasio: Many times. Many times. And again, I think there is increased pressure from people all over this city saying to Albany, "We need affordable housing. Let's get this done."
When NY1 reached out to governor's office for reaction, a spokeswoman told us there are no ongoing discussions regarding a replacement for 421-a.
Despite that, the mayor is seeing signs of support from another branch of government. He brought out one big name for his rally in Lower Manhattan: Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro, who some believe could be a potential pick for vice president.
"This is what good leadership looks like on behalf of the mayor and the City Council," Castro said.
The actual development of affordable housing under this plan will take some time. It may be years before shovels are in the ground, but officials hope it will eventually create thousands of units of affordable housing.