Tech:NYC’s Statement on City of Yes Agreement

November 22, 2024

Tech:NYC President & CEO Julie Samuels released this statement on the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity agreement.

With the productive compromise reached in the City Council committees yesterday, New York is on its way to a legitimate policy breakthrough that will benefit our entire city. It will also help attract, support, and retain the very best tech talent in the country — in turn, bringing more dynamic tech companies here as a result. 

Tech:NYC’s recent report with StreetEasy found that even highly-paid tech workers are struggling with housing costs, underscoring just how urgent this problem is for all New Yorkers, and how the City of Yes could begin to make a difference. We are especially encouraged by changes to parking requirements to make it easier to build, and zoning to allow more dense housing near public transit, which we were proud to advocate for with Councilmember Erik Bottcher.

We thank City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Land Use Committee Chair Rafael Salamanca Jr., Deputy Mayor Maria Torres Springer, Department of City Planning Director Dan Garodnick, and all the pro-housing advocates who got us to this point, as well as Governor Kathy Hochul for offering essential funding to get this deal done. We encourage the full City Council to pass this critical legislation next month.