Work Highlights the Virtuous Cycle of Transit and Housing in Response to the Recommendations of the Mayor’s Charter Revision Commission
New York – To combat a deepening crisis with unprecedentedly low vacancy rates and more cost-burdened New Yorkers than ever before, New York City needs to build significantly more housing at a much faster pace than in the recent past. Yet the density necessary to meaningfully combat the housing crisis requires public transit to function. With nearly all open space exhausted and water increasingly encroaching into the built environment, there are few places left for New York City to grow in an auto-centric manner.
To bring transit more directly into the ongoing conversation on housing, PCAC released the new whitepaper Riding with Housing Affordability. The piece responds to the Charter Revision Commission’s Interim and Preliminary Report recommendations—which will be on the ballot in November’s general election—and makes the following transit-oriented recommendations to help the Commission alleviate the structural problems facing New York City’s housing crisis:
- Create a transit-oriented, comprehensive citywide plan
- Expand Zoning for Accessibility
- Eliminate mandatory parking minimums citywide
“Like a master key opening a lock, access to fast and reliable transit is essential for new housing that provides the potential for its residents to be healthy and prosperous,” said Brian Fritsch, Associate Director for the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA. “New Yorkers deserve the opportunity to act decisively where their leaders have failed for decades and resolve our housing crisis. PCAC encourages members of the Charter Revision Commission to incorporate the recommendations laid out in this report into their future thinking.”
This whitepaper builds on the December 2024 PCAC report, which found that City of Yes’ transit-oriented housing production will bring over $300 million annually to the MTA’s operating funds. The report also makes a number of recommendations to the MTA on how it can more meaningfully engage and partner with the city on new housing construction throughout the five boroughs.
About PCAC:
Created by the New York State Legislature in 1981, the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC) represents transit and commuter rail riders in the 12-county MTA region. PCAC regularly researches issues, recommends viable solutions, and advocates on behalf of the region’s subway, bus and Staten Island Railway riders, and Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad commuters through its three rider councils – the Long Island Rail Road Commuter Council (LIRRCC), the Metro-North Railroad Commuter Council (MNRCC), and the New York City Transit Riders Council (NYCTRC). These councils and their non-voting MTA Board members were created to serve as a voice for users of the MTA system in the development and implementation of policy, and to hold the MTA Board and management accountable to riders.
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