🍎 citymeetings.nyc #20
City of Yes, Subway Surfing, Deed Theft, Shelter Limits for Asylum Seekers
Hi!
This week's highlights are from:
- A hearing on subway surfing.
- A hearing on lifting 30/60-day shelter limits for asylum seekers.
- A hearing on deed theft.
- The committee votes for City of Yes for Housing Opportunity.
The City of Yes votes were last week's major NYC council headline.
I cover both high-level modifications to the plan shared by chairs Kevin Riley and Rafael Salamanca + statements by council members.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Vikram
For a complete listing of published meetings, visit https://citymeetings.nyc.
Hearing on subway surfing
A panel from MTA and NYPD testify.
- Council Member Kevin Riley initiated the hearing after witnessing two young boys subway surfing on his train. Link
- NYC has recorded 6 subway surfing deaths in 2024, 5 in 2023, and 5 across the previous 5 years combined. Link
- Subway surfing incidents peak between 3:00-4:00 PM on school days, with significant drops in July and August. Link
- The average age of subway surfers is 14, with documented cases of children as young as 9 participating. Link
- The 7 line in Queens has become a primary location for subway surfing due to its elevated tracks providing scenic backgrounds for social media content. Link
- The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has removed 11,000 subway surfing videos from social media platforms. Link
- Norma Nazario, mother of 2023 subway surfing victim Zachary, testified that social media algorithms exposed her son to subway surfing content despite her monitoring his phone usage. Link
- One former subway surfer shared with NYPD that youth commemorate deceased friends by subway surfing in their honor. Link
- A man who became blind after one subway surfing incident in his thirties now participates in prevention campaigns. Link
- NYPD drone surveillance has documented groups of 13-14 youth subway surfing together. Link
Hearing on NYC's 30/60-day shelter limits for asylum seekers
Asylum seekers give testimony at last week's hearing.
The council wants to end a policy that requires asylum seekers to leave city shelters:
- ... after 30 days if they are single adults
- ... after 60 days if they are families.
The admin maintains these limits are necessary to manage shelter capacity and encourage transitions out of the shelter system.
Context
- The city has received 223K asylum seekers since April 2022. Link
- As of November 2024, the city is housing around 57K asylum seekers in shelters, down from a peak of 69K. Link
- The administration has spent $5.2 billion on asylum seeker services over two years, with costs expected to remain high despite declining arrivals. Link
- Among eligible adult asylum seekers, 70% have applied for or received work authorization, though the process requires a 150-day waiting period. Link
- The city issued ~17K sixty-day notices to families in FY 2024, while maintaining an 88% approval rate for accommodation requests. Link
- A centralized mail room is being established to address widespread reports of missed immigration documents and court notices due to shelter transfers. Link
- New policy allows families with K-6 students to remain in their current shelter after receiving a second 60-day notice, aiming to maintain educational continuity. Link
- Independent Budget Office (IBO) analysis disputes the admin's claims of cost savings from the shelter limit policy, citing incomplete data and methodology concerns. Link
Testimonies about the policy
- Via Afghans for a Better Tomorrow, a father of six shared that his daughters, already denied education under the Taliban, now face disrupted schooling due to shelter transfers. Link
- An ESL instructor testified that students are typically transferred between shelters after 4-6 weeks, forcing the curriculum to focus on basic survival phrases rather than language proficiency. Link
- A mother of two teenagers reported being placed in a Brooklyn shelter while her daughters attend school in the Bronx, creating daily transportation and childcare challenges. Link
- A Venezuelan professor living in the shelter system described continuing his professional development through English classes while facing housing instability. Link
- Staff from Catholic Migration Services testified that shelter residents are vulnerable to robbery and harassment when transporting belongings between facilities on public transit. Link
- A French-speaking asylum seeker spent three nights sleeping in a church after a reticketing center had no available beds and his previous shelter denied reentry. Link
- Sanctuary for Families reported that shelter transfers are preventing clients from maintaining consistent contact with legal representatives and attending court dates. Link
- An asylum-seeking mother described attempting to save money through informal work while caring for a 15-day-old infant, facing a 60-day shelter deadline months before work authorization eligibility. Link
- National Guard members are conducting interviews in shelters, creating fear among residents and raising concerns about data privacy. Link
Hearing on deed theft
Members of the public giving testimony about their experiences with deed theft.
- Deed theft occurs when someone takes a property title without the owner's knowledge, typically through either forgery of signatures or tricking homeowners into unknowingly signing over their deeds. Link
- NYC received approximately 3,000 deed theft complaints between 2014-2019, with 45% occurring in Brooklyn, disproportionately affecting communities of color and older adults. Link
- Ray Cortez, a 90-year-old Brooklyn resident who bought his home in 1969, was deceived into signing over his deed while believing he was agreeing to home repairs, resulting in a $700,000 mortgage taken without his knowledge. Link
- The Department of Finance must record all properly formatted deeds by law, even when suspicious, processing between 300,000 to 500,000 documents annually. Link
- Council Member Crystal Hudson received solicitations to purchase her mother's house immediately after her mother's death, raising concerns about predators targeting bereaved families. Link
- Vira Lynn Jones, a Clinton Hill property owner, has experienced approximately $25,000 in property damage while fighting to reclaim her allegedly stolen property, including destruction of her boiler and bathroom fixtures. Link
- Rachel Ciprian, who legally purchased her home in 1997, testified about her 14-year struggle to reclaim her stolen deed, criticizing the effectiveness of free legal services. Link
- Brooklyn Legal Services reports that scammers actively use the tax lien sale list (a list of properties with unpaid taxes) to identify properties to target. Link
- "This list is essentially a road map for scammers who use it to target distressed homeowners."
City of Yes for Housing Opportunity
Kevin Riley talks about modifications to City of Yes for Housing Opportunity at a late meeting to hold a vote.
City of Yes for Housing Opportunity came to a vote in committee last week.
The proposal passed with modifications, but only after 6-or-so additional hours of continued negotiation and vote-whipping.
The proposal will come to a full vote on December 5th.
Kevin Riley and Rafael Salamanca shared how the proposal was modified at a high level. A bunch of council members gave statements.
All these are below.
Funding commitments
The council secured $5B in additional funding from the administration. Link
- $2B for housing: new capital for affordable housing development and preservation.
- $2B for infrastructure: investments in neighborhood infrastructure (flooding mitigation, sewers, etc.) to support new housing.
- $1B for agency staffing: Increased capacity for city agencies to process applications and implement housing programs.
Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Modifications in Low-Density Districts
"I would not encourage housing in any places that are not accessible to jobs and essential services for everyday New Yorkers." Link
- TOD areas reduced from half-mile to quarter-mile radius around certain train stations.
- Single-family zone districts removed from TOD areas.
Town Center Modifications in Low-Density Districts
"One intent of this proposal is to allow walk up apartment buildings on main commercial streets in low density communities. Two very valid concerns regarding this proposal have been raised." Link
- Some blocks have a commercial overlay but are already predominantly 1-2 family homes. These will be removed from Town Center eligibility.
- If just a single isolated block among 1-and-2 family homes is eligible for town center zoning, it will be removed from the proposal.
Affordability Requirements in Low-Density Districts
"This modification is the first time such an affordability program has been used in low density districts." Link
Developments of ~50+ units must reserve 20% of FAR for permanent affordable housing at 80% AMI.
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
"The response we heard to this ADU proposal highlighted several issues."
ADUs permitted will be up to 800 square feet, limited to 1 per house. Link
However:
- Ground floor and basement ADUs will be prohibited in coastal flooding zones and areas vulnerable to inland flooding. Link
- Backyard ADUs will be prohibited in historic districts and certain contextual low-density districts, except near transit. Link
- ADUs will be limited to covering no more than 33% of rear yard, generally restricted to one story. Link
- Homeowner occupancy will be required when ADU is first built. Link
Parking Requirements
Parking mandates will not be removed, but replaced by a three zone system with varying parking requirements. Link
- Zone 1: Requirements fully eliminated for new buildings in areas with good transit
- Zone 2: Significantly reduced for multifamily developments, maintained for 1-2 family homes
- Zone 3: Modest reductions, mostly maintained current requirements
Additionally, "in all three zones, certain types of developments that might be infeasible if parking were to be required will be exempt."
- Office to residential conversions
- ADUs
- TODs and town center districts of less than 75 units.
Statements in support
- Carlina Rivera supports the proposal, noting its housing production potential equals that of 10 Gowanus rezonings. Link
- Crystal Hudson supports the proposal, highlighting her district's contribution of 1,000 new housing units and plans for 4,000 more through community-led rezoning. Link
- Pierina Sanchez describes the proposal as "the most pro housing plan in NYC history," urging colleagues to consider modifications before the December 5th vote. Link
- Shaun Abreu supports the initiative, emphasizing the $5B dedication to affordable housing as "transformative". Link
Statements in opposition
- David Carr opposes the plan, arguing it's a "mapping action masquerading as a text amendment" without proper environmental review. Link
- Kamillah Hanks votes against the proposal, citing concerns about Staten Island's unique infrastructure and zoning needs. Link
- Lynn Schulman opposes the initiative, comparing its potential impact to Robert Moses' infrastructure changes. Link
What about the Port Authority Bus Terminal replacement?!
Not the main character, but a big deal nonetheless!
I summarized the proposal in last week's issue.
It passed unanimously. Link 1, Link 2
Thanks for reading!
Comments, questions, or feedback? Reply to this email or shoot me a note at vikram@citymeetings.nyc