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City of Yes: Housing Opportunity — A Little Bit Of Everything, Everywhere

By David Rosenberg
December 23, 2024

New York City’s recently adopted City of Yes for Housing Opportunity (CHO) represents the most significant overhaul of residential zoning regulations in decades. While its projected creation of 82,000 housing units over 15 years falls well short of the city’s needs, the initiative is important for its systematic dismantling of post-war zoning restrictions that have long constrained housing development in the city.

At its core, the reform package (which became effective as of Dec. 5, 2024) addresses three fundamental barriers to housing production: mandatory parking requirements that are disconnected from demand, rigid separation of housing types, and concentration of density through selective neighborhood downzoning.

The sweeping nature of these zoning changes extends far beyond the headline policy initiatives, embedding numerous technical modifications throughout the zoning resolution. While the broad strokes are clear, the detailed mechanics of implementation remain uncertain in several critical areas. The interplay between existing procedures and new provisions will likely generate significant interpretive questions and litigation as developers seek to take advantage of these opportunities.

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