New York City Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises Hearing RE: Bronx Metro-North Station Area Plan
July 9, 2024
Good afternoon. I’m Jack Connors, Research and Communications Associate at the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee, PCAC. Thank you for the opportunity to testify this afternoon.
The Penn Access Project will bring reliable regional rail service to many communities in the East Bronx for the first time in a century, allowing hundreds of thousands of working New Yorkers to get to and from work, cultural amenities, and recreation without the expense and inconvenience that comes with car ownership or the excessive delays that plague our bus system, in part due to the mayor’s failure to implement the Streets Plan.
As we broaden access to transit in an area that has traditionally been bypassed, we must ensure that those who stand to benefit most from the project have the opportunity to live near the transit they depend on. This plan is a major step in the right direction towards that goal.
By allowing for gentle density around Parkchester/Van Ness and Morris Park, this plan will produce nearly 7,500 units of housing, including some 1,900 permanently affordable units – generating more than 10,000 jobs in the process.
Expanding Fair Fares is also critical, so that low-income New Yorkers can afford the fare. We commend Speaker Adams and Mayor Adams for raising the eligibility threshold to 145% of the federal poverty level (FPL) in this most recent city budget but continue to call for expansion to 200% of the FPL and to the commuter railroads, which better reflects the high cost of living in New York City as well as peer cities with similar programs. Expanding commuter rail discounts like CityTicket will also ensure that more people can afford to access faster travel on Metro-North.
Affordable housing and affordable transit are a recipe for a more equitable New York. On behalf of MTA riders, we urge the council to approve this plan.