Brewer criticizes HPD and calls for more affordable housing in high-income areas

So I support, because we've been working with the community board to come up with this, but I do want to say to the city of New York, to HPD, having been borough president for eight years, it is so darn hard

to get any kind of affordable housing in these high-income areas.

And it makes me crazy.

The schools are excellent.

The transportation is excellent.

The parks are excellent.

It doesn't seem right that every time I ask for support, subsidy if needed,

that we are told is cheaper land in the Bronx.

We're going to the Bronx, Gail.

We're not gonna stay in Manhattan.

And that's what's happening here.

I mean, if HPD or others

I just wanted to say, if the developer's not gonna do this, then we should find other ways to subsidize this apartment building.

These should have more affordable housing than what we're able to negotiate, number one.

Number two, I'm a big supporter of all of the unions, but when I call 32BJ, and to the credit of the developer,

They're working in terms of long-term 32BJ jobs, as they should.

But 32BJ should say, we want 5% affordable.

We want the extra workforce housing.

They don't.

They say they go along.

That's not right.

Every unit in the city should be stating we need more workforce housing.

And so I'm here also to say I think HPD is going to work with us to make sure that once the abatement is over,

if a family moves out, that market, that union, those few 12, 13, 14 units, they need to stay rate stabilization.

I have to be very, very clear on that.

So it's written into law.

And they should be rent stabilized.

Not equivalent rent stabilized, but actual rent stabilized.

So I'm here to be supportive, but I'm also here after, what, 25 years, 200 and some ULURPs I've done.

This is really nickeling and diming, and it's not building affordable housing the way that we should be doing it.

And so I hope that this is somewhat of a lesson.

And then I think it's sort of putting everybody on notice that good

Intention is not good enough.

What is the only way that we build affordable housing is to actually build it.

If you want to put in a subsidy, fine.

But nickeling and diming is not the way to go.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.