09/21/2026
It’s called the FAIR Housing Growth Strategy.
“FAIR” for who? Affordable for who?
I grew up in a New York that felt like there was room for everybody. Rich and poor. Black, white, Latino, Asian. Q***r and straight. Different languages, cultures & neighborhoods. We can’t lose that, that diversity is what made New York great!
We need to build housing. But we have to be intentional about what we build, who can afford it & whether the people already here can stay.
Building just to meet a quota won’t solve our affordability crisis. Where is the plan to prevent displacement, address racial inequality and preserve the communities that make New York what it is?
The City’s 2023 survey found 1.41% rental vacancy overall. Below $1,100 a month? Just 0.39%.
That’s why I’m asking for more than a production target. Where’s the FAIRNESS?
The question should not simply be:
What rent does an income formula allow us to call “affordable”?
It should be:
What can New Yorkers actually afford?
Supply matters. But a unit count cannot tell us whether a struggling family can afford the rent.
& fairness doesn’t stop at the apartment door.
Can seniors and people with disabilities get to the doctor, buy groceries, reach transit and participate in city life? Not everyone can ride a bicycle or walk long distances.
Can our sewers, schools and health services support the growth? Are we accounting for flooding? Are communities shaping the plan—or just reacting to it?
I called for permanent, deep affordability on public land where housing is appropriate—not at the expense of hospitals, working waterfronts or essential jobs. For community land trusts and resident power. For keeping public housing public & no demolition!
And for asking what these decisions mean for Black and Latino New Yorkers facing displacement.
Whether we’re fighting to save an affordable building or protect a working waterfront, it’s the same question:
Who is this city being built for?
Fair housing cannot be a unit-counting exercise.
It has to mean a city where people can afford to live, get around and remain part of the community.
Read full comment here:
https://tinyurl.com/4n635zyh
— John Leyva
