New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani joined community leaders, residents, and housing advocates to celebrate the ribbon-cutting of the ANCP Morningside affordable homeownership project, a development that transformed three long-neglected buildings into permanently affordable shared-equity cooperatives.
The project delivers 36 affordable homes and two commercial spaces while advancing the city's efforts to increase access to homeownership for working-class New Yorkers. During the event, Mayor Mamdani highlighted Block by Block: The Housing Plan for a New Era, a major initiative aimed at expanding affordable homeownership, resident-controlled cooperatives, community land trusts, and support programs for existing homeowners.
City officials say the plan will increase affordable homeownership opportunities by 85% over the next two fiscal years, introduce the new "Our Home" cooperative housing program, expand the Open Door initiative, and strengthen down-payment assistance through HomeFirst. The announcement has sparked renewed discussion about housing affordability, cooperative ownership models, and the future of affordable housing in New York City.
#ZohranMamdani #AffordableHousing #NYCHousing #Homeownership #HousingCrisis #NewYorkCity #Morningside #AffordableHomes #CooperativeHousing #HousingPlan #BlockByBlock #CommunityDevelopment #UrbanHousing #NYCNews #HousingAffordability #Homebuyers #CityGovernment #RealEstateNews #HousingPolicy #BreakingNews
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The project delivers 36 affordable homes and two commercial spaces while advancing the city's efforts to increase access to homeownership for working-class New Yorkers. During the event, Mayor Mamdani highlighted Block by Block: The Housing Plan for a New Era, a major initiative aimed at expanding affordable homeownership, resident-controlled cooperatives, community land trusts, and support programs for existing homeowners.
City officials say the plan will increase affordable homeownership opportunities by 85% over the next two fiscal years, introduce the new "Our Home" cooperative housing program, expand the Open Door initiative, and strengthen down-payment assistance through HomeFirst. The announcement has sparked renewed discussion about housing affordability, cooperative ownership models, and the future of affordable housing in New York City.
#ZohranMamdani #AffordableHousing #NYCHousing #Homeownership #HousingCrisis #NewYorkCity #Morningside #AffordableHomes #CooperativeHousing #HousingPlan #BlockByBlock #CommunityDevelopment #UrbanHousing #NYCNews #HousingAffordability #Homebuyers #CityGovernment #RealEstateNews #HousingPolicy #BreakingNews
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good morning. It is always a pleasure to be just a few blocks away from where I grew up and
00:08within
00:08walking distance of Coronet. However, we are not here today to marvel at the incredible
00:15structural feat that is almost certainly New York City's largest slice of pizza.
00:20We are here to cut the ribbon on a far more important structural achievement,
00:24the completion of 36 newly renovated affordable co-op homes here at ANCP Morningside.
00:32And I want to acknowledge partners who helped to make this possible. First and foremost,
00:45Kareem Hudson, president and CEO of Genesis Companies, Sabrina Lippman, CEO of Habitat for Humanity,
00:52Manhattan Community Board 10. We also have leaders from our own administration that are here,
00:57Michael Garner, chief business diversity officer. We have Patrick Love, HPD deputy commissioner,
01:03Sia Weaver, director of the mayor's office to protect tenants with us. And we also have partners
01:08across elected office, including Maisha Smith, deputy Manhattan borough president and assembly
01:13member Jordan Wright, as well as the office of council member Yusuf Salam. Now, our city is
01:18grappling with one of the worst housing crises in American history, a crisis that sits at the very
01:24root of the affordability crisis, burdening so many across the city. No cost weighs heavier than
01:31housing. Too many have looked at their mortgage payment and utility bill and wondered how they
01:36could possibly afford both. Too many have sat around the kitchen table at night doing an impossible
01:42equation, trying to find a way to stay in the city that they love. And too many have been forced
01:47to
01:47live in buildings languishing in disrepair with nowhere else to go. No way to find a permanent,
01:53more stable option. City Hall will no longer sit idly by as this crisis worsens. Instead,
02:00we are taking action and transforming the housing landscape of this city. Two weeks ago, I stood before
02:07a group of homeowners and tenants and announced City Hall's housing plan, block by block. It is the
02:13most ambitious housing plan our city has seen in generations. It will allow us to tackle this
02:18crisis with scale and with the urgency that it demands. And it will deliver change to our communities
02:23one block at a time. We will fulfill a promise made during the campaign and build 200,000 affordable
02:30and permanently rent-stabilized homes. And we will preserve 200,000 more. Two historic initiatives made
02:36possible by a $22 billion investment over the next five years. As we build and preserve these 400,000
02:44homes, we will also make it easier for New Yorkers to buy a home, putting the dream of homeownership
02:50within reach for so many to whom it has long been denied. We will double the number of homeownership
02:55opportunities in new developments through the Open Door program and by supporting community land
03:00trusts. We will remove negligent owners and property managers of buildings suffering from chronic neglect
03:06or mired in foreclosure and shift ownership to responsible community stewards. And we will
03:12launch a new program called Our Home, facilitating the renovation of city stewarded buildings into safe
03:18and affordable cooperatives so that building ownership can ultimately be transferred to the
03:23residents themselves. Our Home is modeled on the success of conversions like the one that we stand
03:29before today, right here at 321 West 116th Street. The transformation that has taken place on this corner
03:35is evidence that when city government is willing to step in and lead boldly, New Yorkers can expect
03:41meaningful change and decent, dignified homes. For years, these buildings were left to decay by
03:49property owners who had abandoned their tenants. After the city assumed ownership of the buildings,
03:54they entered the Affordable Neighborhood Cooperative Program, or ANCP, where they were converted in
04:00partnership with Habitat for Humanity and the developer Genesis into 100% affordable co-ops.
04:06They are now in the process of being fully renovated. Many of these homes have been put up for sale
04:11via the
04:12Housing Connect Lottery at prices between $220,000 and $288,000. To put that into perspective, the medium home
04:21price in Morningside Heights is estimated at $841,500. ANCP Morningside is just one example of what becomes
04:30possible when government acts with urgency and acts with purpose. And our work will not stop there. Through the
04:37Office of Deed Theft Prevention and the Mortgage Assistance Program, we will ensure the stability of home ownership
04:42remains within reach for New Yorkers across the five boroughs. That every person deserves a dignified home is not
04:49simply an ideal. It is a responsibility the city call can and will fulfill. We are not just the largest
04:57city in the nation, we will
04:58also deliver the largest housing transformation our country has ever seen. And if you want to know just how big
05:04that is, I have one word for you, coronet. Thank you.
05:12That being said, I will now pass it over to Assemblymember Jordan Wright. I want to go through a number
05:17of things. So first of all, I know that there are many here in the
05:19here in their orange and blue and we're incredibly excited for the game tonight. The watch party is back on
05:26for outside of Madison Square Garden. And I'm thrilled that New Yorkers will once again have the opportunity to come
05:32together to cheer on the Knicks and to be part of this historic finals run. Madison Square Garden applied for
05:37a permit for an event the size of 500 to 1000 people for the watch party. We approved the maximum
05:43end for 999 attendees. As my police commissioner outlined at her security
05:49briefing on Monday, additional security measures will be in place outside of Madison Square Garden for Game 4 to ensure
05:56that everyone can safely enjoy the event. And the security in place this evening is in line with the measures
06:02that the NYPD uses for gatherings at this size, whether it be July 4th or New Year's Eve.
06:08And what we are speaking about here is really a moment where this team has brought an extraordinary amount of
06:16energy, pride, excitement to every corner of our city.
06:20And we want to encourage every New Yorker to celebrate in this moment, to do so responsibly and to be
06:25looking out for one another through it all. We want this to be a memorable night for all the right
06:28reasons.
06:29Can I just ask you just another question about the Knicks? There were a lot of people who were upset
06:33with the refereeing at the last game.
06:35I'm one of them.
06:36If you could talk about that. And if you think that... No, because, I mean, there are some people who
06:43think that some steps should be taken about the referees because they don't...
06:46Look, I would say crime is going down in New York City, but what we saw the other night did
06:50feel criminal.
06:52And I think when you talk about the absence of a flagrant, when you talk about...
06:56I mean, our coach was reminding the refs of how they were calling the game on one side of the
07:02court and not the other side of the court.
07:05So, you know, I understand that this is going to be tough.
07:08This is the finals that we're talking about.
07:09But you just look at the disparity on fouls that were being called.
07:13I think many New Yorkers came away from that game with a very clear reflection of the absence of fair
07:21refereeing.
07:21I'll leave it there.
07:23Hey, Mayor.
07:25How's it going?
07:25I have two questions.
07:26I love the Nehru caller.
07:27Oh, thank you.
07:28I take a little credit.
07:31I have a...
07:32With early voting coming up Saturday in the sort of state, federal elections, you've endorsed a slate of candidates.
07:40I wanted to ask you particularly about Daria Lisa Avila-Chevalier.
07:46Were you aware of some of the tweets that her opponent has been making an issue of?
07:51And did you see anything in those tweets that concerned you or made you think about endorsing her?
07:56And do you want the second question now?
07:58Yeah, why don't we just go for the second question as well?
08:01And the second question is, you didn't endorse...
08:03You did endorse a bunch of candidates, but there were several races you didn't endorse, including Jordan Wright's race in
08:09Harlem.
08:09I'm wondering, you know, those races were where the DSA was involved.
08:14How did you decide to endorse in some races?
08:17And did you have pressure from DSA to just endorse the full slate of candidates?
08:23I will tell you that I heard from many New Yorkers around the races that are upcoming.
08:28As you said, early voting starts on Saturday.
08:30Election Day is now less than two weeks away.
08:33And we're a city of eight and a half million people.
08:35There's always going to be at least eight and a half million opinions.
08:37I'm proud of the candidates that I did endorse.
08:40And we are seeing a number of those candidates, whether at the state level or the congressional level.
08:46And I think they're building exactly the right kind of momentum.
08:49We know that for many working New Yorkers, they do not have the time to be thinking about elections until
08:55we get to the point of elections,
08:56because they're too busy trying to make ends meet in the nation's most expensive city.
08:59When it comes to Daria Lisa's campaign for Congress, no, I had not seen those tweets.
09:04And what I've heard from her and what I know a lot of others in the district have heard from
09:09her is that her views have evolved and that the campaign that she's running on is reflective of what she's
09:14going to be fighting for.
09:15And frankly, when I see a candidate who has a record like she does of freeing New Yorkers who are
09:21unjustly detained by ICE, of standing up for the working person who has often been left out of our politics,
09:27especially in a district that really has so many of the same themes that we're speaking of today, a fear
09:33of displacement, a fear of being pushed out of a place that you've helped to build.
09:37I think that she would be an incredible champion for that district and for the city as a whole.
09:43Hi, Duncan. How are you?
09:44I'm wondering if you had any reaction to the investigation into a no-bid $180,000 contract for foreign language
09:51teachers awarded under Chancellor Samuel.
09:54Have you spoken with the Chancellor about this?
09:56And are you at all concerned about his ability to leave the school system as a result of the probe?
10:01You know, I have appreciated the Chancellor's leadership of our school system, and I'm proud of the way that he
10:08has been delivering for New York City public school students as well as teachers and families.
10:12And I continue to be confident in his leadership.
10:15I also take any SCI investigation seriously, and we'll be sure to await the findings of that.
10:22There's an aspect of this group pushing for a moratorium on AI in public schools.
10:26I understand that guidance and additional laurels are under consideration, but they're pushing for an outright moratorium, stop the use
10:33of all the items in schools until something more permanent and strong can be developed.
10:38Would you consider or support an outright moratorium in schools?
10:41They're calling on you with the Chancellor directly for that.
10:44And then speaking of the races who have it endorsed in, are you going to vote from year 12?
10:49Is it going to come to the ballot?
10:51Yes, I will be voting.
10:55I have yet to make a decision on that, but I will be voting.
10:57I am a constituent of New York 12, and I know that that debate happened, I think, was it yesterday
11:04evening that it took place?
11:07I wasn't able to watch it, but I'll try and catch some bits and pieces here and there.
11:10But like most New Yorkers, I'm still going.
11:12I'm one of those classic yet-to-make-a-decision voters that frustrate campaigns so dearly.
11:18To your first question, the last administration hit the gas on AI and allowed it to move forward without the
11:27requisite genuine engagement that I think the process deserves.
11:31And our administration is going to be taking a different approach.
11:34Earlier this year, our New York City public school system did take the first step to put guardrails in place
11:40while developing a policy to protect our students in partnership with families and with communities.
11:45And I know the chancellor has been having a number of conversations to that end.
11:49We will be putting out something in addition to that soon.
11:52Is that being more current with some people?
11:54I think we're considering all of the options that are being put in front of us.
11:57All right, we've got time for one or two more.
11:59Hi, Mr. May.
12:00Hi, Kelly.
12:00How are you?
12:01Good.
12:01I wanted to ask you, President Trump was at the Knicks game.
12:05How much of the loss of that game do you blame on being there?
12:09I also wanted to ask you, yesterday at the budget hearing, the city council was asking your budget director why
12:18a homeless shelter provider at the center of a federal indictment continues to get awarded millions of dollars in contracts
12:27with the city.
12:27I wanted to get your response since you came into office and you're going to root out corruption.
12:32And then lastly, the city's comptroller.
12:34Three questions.
12:35I know.
12:36I don't want to get to have you.
12:37The city's comptroller is putting out some warning signs that next year's budget is already going to be at a
12:43gap of $7.1 billion.
12:44Your response to that?
12:46So I'll work backwards.
12:49We know that it is a long-term project to put our city back on firm financial footing.
12:55And we are proud of the fact that we closed a $12 billion fiscal deficit in our first year in
13:00office.
13:00And we are also committed to taking the steps along the way to ensure that we build a healthier picture
13:06for the long term.
13:07One of those steps is actually through our convening of a charter revision commission, COGE, which if anyone is interested
13:13in attending those hearings, which are taking place today, tomorrow, Wemby is also invited to come today.
13:20You can go to nyc.gov forward slash COGE, and the reason I bring that up is that it is
13:26driven by a desire to see city government be as careful with its money as working New Yorkers are with
13:32theirs.
13:33Working New Yorkers deserve to see a city government that is as committed to efficiency, to excellence, and to making
13:39ends meet in the manner that so many New Yorkers inspire us every day.
13:42Okay. On your second question, we are committed to rooting out corruption within city government as well as within our
13:50city as a whole.
13:51And what we've also seen as part of the reason that we stood here today to speak about our vision
13:56on housing was that for far too long, the corruption and the violation of the housing code has been operating
14:02with impunity across our city.
14:04So there is no boundary at which we will stop to fight that corruption.
14:08I will get back to you on the specific question around that shelter operator.
14:12And then on the first question, you know, I think we had a very tough game.
14:22I was very hopeful at the half, and I've made clear my complaints about the refs.
14:28I'm hopeful tonight we're going to see a different game.
14:30It is a beautiful thing to see how many New Yorkers are excited, and I think you heard it earlier.
14:35Last time we were in the finals was 1999.
14:38It was against the Spurs, and we're excited to have a chance to run it back, and we hope for
14:441973 one more time.
14:46And this team is just truly an inspiration to this whole city.
14:51And I can tell you no matter what event I am at, someone will whisper in my ear, Nixon 5,
14:57Nixon 6.
14:59And I still have people shouting at me Nixon 4.
15:01I try and tell them, you know, we've got to leave that behind.
15:06And I think that what's so exciting about this moment is we know we live in the biggest city in
15:12the United States of America.
15:13It feels like a small town when the Knicks are doing well.
15:16It feels like everybody's thinking about the same thing.
15:18Everybody's looking forward to the same thing.
15:20And we're excited for tonight for New Yorkers who are lucky enough to go watch the game,
15:24for New Yorkers who will go to bars and restaurants, whether in Midtown or anywhere across the five boroughs,
15:29to see the game with their friends, or whether they'll just be walking the streets
15:32and hoping to hear a loud shout and a yell as we see Landry Schammett put in another three.
15:37Are you going to the game?
15:39No.
15:40Are you going to a watch party?
15:41I'm going to a watch party.
15:41I could afford one game.
15:45Which watch party are you going to?
15:46I'm going to be in Brooklyn.
15:48I'm going to be in Brooklyn.
15:50I've been uptown.
15:51I've been Queens.
15:52Now it's time to go to Brooklyn.
15:54Thank you all very much.
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