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Dear New Yorkers,

Mayor Eric Adams’ City of Yes rezoning plan faces a crucial test today, as the City Planning Commission hears a full half-day of testimony on the proposal: 12 hours, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. tonight.

There’s a lot to consider. The City of Yes is a series of amendments to the city’s zoning code, designed to incentivize developers to produce somewhere between 58,000 and 109,000 new homes over 15 years. It’s a major step in the mayor’s ambitious goal of adding 500,000 new housing units in the city over a decade.

Among the far-reaching changes in City of Yes are eliminating many requirements for a specific number of parking spots mandated for each new building — a hot-button issue outside Manhattan — and making it easier to construct accessory dwelling units.

In recent years, new housing has been built primarily in only a handful of neighborhoods. And City of Yes continues to face strong opposition from residents in low-density neighborhoods, where additional housing is very unpopular.

But it’s also clear that the plan has amassed far more support than previous efforts to use zoning to increase housing, with several community boards and four of five borough presidents indicating their approval.

Read more here about the City of Yes plan and today’s hearings.

Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Wednesday's Weather Rating: 2/10. Our long national nightmare continues. High temperatures near 90° F, dew points nearing the mid-70s, a chance of scattered storms and heat index values over 100° F at times. The vibes remain grim.

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Kara Ahmed, the deputy chancellor who oversaw New York City’s early childhood education programs during a turbulent two-and-a-half year period, is leaving her post for a new position, reports Chalkbeat. Ahmed’s departure is the latest in a series of staffing shakeups at the city Education Department. We recently published THE CITY’s guide to getting food benefits in New York. Now, that article is also available in Spanish. Share it with your friends and neighbors!

Reporter’s Notebook

City Council Begins Review of Metro-North Housing Plan

Bronx Councilmembers on Tuesday called for additional neighborhood investments before voting on a plan to build four new Metro-North stations and 7,500 apartments in the East Bronx.

Along with stations in Hunts Point, Parkchester/Van Nest, Morris Park and Co-Op City, the rezoning would allow for much bigger buildings, creating 1.23 million square feet of new commercial space, 1.29 million square feet for community facilities and an estimated 10,000 construction jobs, according to the Department of City Planning. Approximately 1,900 of the apartments would be income-restricted.

At a council hearing on zoning and franchises, Bronx councilmembers representing the neighborhoods that would be rezoned pushed for more funding for  their neighborhoods from the developers and the city before voting on the plan, which ultimately would have to be approved by the Land Use Committee and then the full City Council.

They also pushed for more parking, more two- and three-bedroom apartments to accommodate larger families, and a lower income requirement for new subsidized apartments. Several East Bronx residents advocated for the same considerations.

— Jonathan Custodio

Things To Do

Here’s what’s going on around the city this week.

Wednesday, July 10: The annual Jazz Jam All-Stars Concert returns to Flushing Town Hall in Queens. Tickets are $15-25, and the show starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 10: Catch an outdoor screening of “Barbie,” one of last summer’s hit films. Free from 9 to 11:30 p.m. at WNYC Transmitter Park in Brooklyn.  Saturday, July 13: Civic Speakeasy, an event series hosted by Lincoln Center and Citizen University dedicated to strengthening civic culture in communities through art. Free at 6 p.m., at The Underground at Jaffe Drive in Lincoln Center in Manhattan.

THE KICKER: The Third Avenue Bridge, which connects The Bronx and Manhattan, had something in common with many New Yorkers on Monday when it paused after overheating. The bridge reopened by that evening.

Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Wednesday.

Love,

THE CITY

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