Public (Zoom): Maulin Mehta (Regional Plan Association) supports Mangin
Mehta, NY Director at RPA, strongly supports Mangin, noting the BSA's expanded fast-track authority makes this appointment critical. He praises Mangin's decade of public service at DCP, his thoughtfulness, and his commitment to responsible governance, and urges confirmation.
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Good afternoon.
My name is Malin Mehta, and I'm New York Director at Regional Plan Association.
Thank you, Chair Oon, Deputy Speaker Williams, and members of the committee for the opportunity to testify today.
RPA strongly supports the confirmation of John Mangin to lead the Board of Standards and Appeals.
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We are all aware of how critical our city's housing crisis is.
For years, RPA has been sounding the alarm that we simply do not have enough homes to meet the needs of current and future New Yorkers.
We need an all-of-the-above approach to build more housing in more places of all types and affordability levels.
To do so, we need to reform regulations that have too often made good projects difficult to deliver.
That's why the work of the BSA is so important today.
New Yorkers approved a new process last year that would enable the BSA to provide a faster path for certain types of affordable housing development.
Along with many of our fellow advocates, RPA supported the fundamental goal of that reform, to make it easier to advance affordable housing projects while still maintaining a transparent public process.
The success of that reform will now depend on how well it's implemented.
BSA leadership with sound judgment, deep understanding of how housing gets built, and commitment to fairness and consistency is critical to building trust and success.
John Mangin clearly brings those qualities to the position.
He has dedicated over a decade of public service at DCP, where he's worked on some of the most consequential housing reforms the city has undertaken while leading their housing division.
In our housing research and advocacy efforts, we have worked very closely with John over the years.
He is a thoughtful and knowledgeable public servant dedicated to
responsible governance to solve our housing challenges.
The BSA must be a credible, independent institution that can review land use questions and make decisions fairly, responsibly, and predictably with transparency and accountability.
John has dedicated his career serving the city, and we believe he is particularly well qualified to lead the BSA.
We know he will work closely with the City Council and be responsive to community feedback as we all work collectively to solve our housing challenges.
We urge you to confirm his nomination.
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