Mangin opening statement: addressing 2014 article and BSA fast track goals

It was a conversation about neighborhoods, but in the context of the broader city.

That conversation laid the groundwork for the biggest move on housing in city history and the biggest ever capital investment package to support it.

When its prospects looked especially grim, the city council, you picked it up and you carried it across the finish line, even though we all realized that politics offered a far easier off-ramp.

I'm eternally grateful for that, and the city is very much in your debt.

And that's just one example of the council's pro-housing work that I've seen firsthand.

I've seen many of you navigate the complex dynamics and needs of your neighborhoods to make new housing that work.

for everyone, and I've been proud to partner with you on that work over the last decade.

We all know we have a long way to go to meet the housing needs of our fellow residents, but the significant progress we've made to this point would not be possible without you, the council.

Of course, the BSA does not conduct massive citywide planning efforts like these.

It addresses individual sites such as schools, houses of worship, and healthcare facilities to make projects work to the benefit of landowners, their neighborhoods, and the city at large.

I want to briefly touch on an article I wrote in 2014 that I know some members of the council have asked about.

At the time I wrote it, I was working in Washington, D.C.

It was the last job I came before I came to New York to work at City Planning.

I was working there with black and Latino tenants and a range of housing advocates.

To create homeownership cooperative housing under DC's Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, TOPA.

While there, I wrote that article arguing that in addition to all this work that the housing advocates and I were doing, in addition to all those other tools in the community development toolkit,

I felt we should also become forceful advocates for more housing of all types.

Otherwise, it just seemed like we were fighting against the tide.

At the time, this seemed like a somewhat novel

whole argument that we should be in favor of more housing of all types.

Today, I feel like it hardly needs to be said, especially when I look at the council's record on housing over the last decade.

It seems to me like this argument has become a reality.

At BSA, I will maintain my career-long commitment to openness, transparency, and community voice.

I fully believe that an informed

an inclusive process leads to fairer outcomes.

I strongly believe that a fair and open process also demands by the book compliance with the laws that guide BSA decisions.

This includes meeting every finding for an approval and recognizing that actions that could affect neighborhood character must go to City Planning Commission and the City Council.

At BSA, I would be especially excited to work with HPD, applicants, and neighborhood stakeholders to stand up the BSA Fast Track for affordable housing.

This is an action with the potential to bring affordable housing to every part of the city.

With this action, BSA can play a bigger role in our collective ongoing efforts to build a fairer, more inclusive city.

Thank you again for offering the opportunity to testify, and I'm happy to answer any questions that you might have.