City Agencies Asked to Review Land for Potential Housing Development

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday announced the issuance of Executive Order 43, requiring city agencies to review their city owned and controlled land for potential housing development sites.

As New York City faces a generational affordable housing crisis with just a 1.4% rental vacancy rate, the Adams administration is using every possible tool available to deliver the affordable housing that New Yorkers need. The executive order will help support the Adams administration’s “moonshot” goal of building 500,000 new homes by 2032, according to a press release. 

“If there’s any land within the city’s control that has even the remotest potential to develop affordable housing, our administration will take action,” said Adams. “To solve a generational affordable housing crisis, we must bring new innovative ideas to the table and activate all city agencies, whether they are directly involved in creating housing or not, to help deliver for New Yorkers. Today’s executive order is one of the many ways we will continue to exhaust every option to meet this crisis head on and fulfill our pledge of building 500,000 new housing units by 2032.”

Effective immediately, the executive order establishes the City Housing Activation Task Force, with representatives from mayoral agencies and other public entities, the press release said. The task force will review land under the ownership and control of the city to identify potential sites for housing development, and develop guidelines to ensure agency policies promote housing production. All locations that can be used to further housing production or on adjacent or nearby sites without disruption to critical municipal operations will be considered.

Brooklyn's Public Library system is one potential opportunity, the press release said.

“Brooklyn Public Library is committed to helping address the city's affordable housing crisis,” said Linda E. Johnson, president and chief executive officer of the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL). “BPL’s Sunset Park Library stands as a successful example, seamlessly integrating 100 percent affordable housing and modern library facilities — the first collaboration of its kind in New York City. We look forward to working with Mayor Adams and the new task force to explore innovative housing approaches.”