Mayor Eric Adams has issued an executive order that directs all municipal agencies to conduct a thorough review of city-owned and controlled land in New York City. This order covers approximately 17,000 properties across the five boroughs and comes at a time when the rental vacancy rate is at an unprecedented low of just 1.4%.
In his statement, Mayor Adams emphasized the importance of utilizing any available land for affordable housing development. He stated that his administration will take action on any potential sites within the city’s control, no matter how small or remote they may seem.
To address this pressing issue, Mayor Adams has established a new task force called the City Housing Activation Task Force. This group will consist of representatives from various mayoral agencies and other public entities. Their primary goal is to identify all possible locations for housing production or adjacent sites that can be utilized without disrupting critical municipal operations.
The mayor’s office has made it clear that their focus is on finding innovative solutions to solve New York City’s long-standing affordable housing crisis. They believe that by activating all city agencies – even those not directly involved in creating housing – they can make significant progress towards delivering much-needed affordable homes for New Yorkers.
