Latest news with #RegionalPlanAssociation
New York Times
7 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
A New Rail Line May Come to New York. Will a Housing Boom Follow?
For decades, transit supporters in New York City have clamored for the Interborough Express, a passenger rail line that would wend through overlooked parts of Brooklyn and Queens, the city's most populous boroughs, without entering Manhattan. In April, the plan took a major step toward becoming a reality, when Gov. Kathy Hochul approved $2.75 billion for its funding, half of the project's estimated $5.5 billion price tag. The light-rail line, the city's first, is expected to make 19 stops, from Jackson Heights in Queens to Bay Ridge in Brooklyn, in less than 40 minutes — a fraction of the time it would take with subway and bus routes. It will run alongside a 19th-century freight train route that winds past houses, beside highways, near factories and even under a cemetery. Now, in a sign of its transformative potential, the project is gaining the attention of real estate developers, long before the first track gets laid. More than 70,000 new homes could be built within a half mile of stops along the train line over the next decade, if some land-use changes are approved by city officials, according to an analysis released Thursday by the New York Building Congress, a trade group for construction and real estate companies. Depending on how significantly land use is altered around the train line, the report estimates that over 100,000 units might be built over a decade. 'These are eye-popping numbers,' said Tom Wright, the president of the Regional Plan Association, an urban planning group that has been pushing for a version of the route, also called the IBX, since the 1990s. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Bloomberg
18-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
NYC's Congestion Toll Slashes Traffic Jams in Manhattan by 25%
New York City's congestion pricing toll has cut Manhattan traffic delays by 25% and reduced gridlock in nearby New Jersey counties by as much as 14%, undercutting fears the policy would worsen traffic outside the city, a new report from the Regional Plan Association shows. Time lost due to traffic in Manhattan fell 28% from Jan. 5, when the toll launched, through April 26, with congestion pricing accounting for a quarter of that drop, according to the report, which was released Wednesday.
Bloomberg
23-04-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
NYC Gateway Tunnel Expected to Generate $445 Billion for Economy
The long-awaited $16 billion rail tunnel project connecting New York City and New Jersey is expected to provide the national and regional economy with a $445 billion boost. The construction phase of the Gateway Program will generate about $42.8 billion of economic activity in the region, according to an economic analysis by the Regional Plan Association. After completion, the tunnel will $230 billion worth of economic activity in the region and another $170 billion across the US.
New York Times
08-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
How Climate Change Could Make Homes Disappear
Good morning. It's Tuesday. Today we'll look at how one consequence of climate change, coastal flooding, could make New York's housing shortage worse. We'll also get details on testimony by Columbia University's former interim president, who told a federal task force that she did not remember the specifics of Columbia's report on antisemitism. In a city surrounded by water, communities along the shore are vulnerable to coastal flooding brought on by climate change. That is troubling for a city that also has a housing shortage, as New York does, because homes could be lost to rising water — 82,000 homes in the city and nearby suburbs over the next 15 years, according to a report from the Regional Plan Association, a New York-based urban research and policy group. The report also said that the New York region needed 362,000 homes today to relieve overcrowding and provide permanent housing for the shelter population. But that number will more than triple by 2040. I asked my colleague Mihir Zaveri, who with Hilary Howard analyzed the report, to explain the findings. What neighborhoods are at risk of flooding? When it comes to coastal flooding and rising sea levels, the areas along the coast will, of course, be affected the most. Specifically, in New York City, we're looking at areas like the Rockaways and South Ozone Park in Queens, Canarsie in Brooklyn and neighborhoods along the southeastern shore of Staten Island. The projected losses in areas on Long Island — like the towns of Hempstead, Babylon and Islip — make up nearly half of the overall toll. If the report is right and so many homes are lost in the next 15 years, how will that affect the housing crisis? The New York metropolitan area already has a steep housing shortage because not enough homes have been built in the past few decades. Because so many people want to live here, the lack of housing supply leads to an increase in prices. Anything, including flood risk, that further reduces the number of homes will make the housing shortage worse. That said, the roughly 80,000 or so homes lost to flooding is only a small fraction of a housing shortage that is already in the hundreds of thousands and could grow to a staggering 1.2 million homes when flood loss, population growth and other factors are taken into account. There are other reasons — like zoning rules, the costs of development — that play bigger roles in increasing the housing shortage. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy flooded a significant part of Staten Island. What happened to the homes that were in its path? Were they rebuilt to withstand another storm as powerful as Sandy? Many homes (even whole blocks) on Staten Island were destroyed during Sandy. Many of those homes had been built on wetlands that once served as a buffer against rising seawater. Hundreds of homes were not rebuilt; the state ended up buying hundreds of properties, clearing away the damaged homes and returning the land to its natural state. Still, many homes there remain in flood zones and might be susceptible to the next big storm. According to the report, more than 1,500 Staten Island homes could be lost by 2040. What about the plan to safeguard the entire city? And the resiliency projects on the Lower East Side? How far along are they? Flood control projects progress notoriously slowly. A major federal plan to protect New York City from coastal storms has yet to be approved by the federal government and is at least 20 years away from completion. Some local projects, though, are moving forward. On the Lower East Side, for example, the city has installed 'floodgates' and 'flood walls' to serve as barriers to rising floodwaters. This system should be operational by the end of next year. One expert told you that local officials need to 'rethink what a conventional home looks like.' How will the need to adapt affect communities with single-family, stand-alone homes? We've already seen how some homes will need to be bought out or relocated. And we know that in other places, we'll need new, costly and complicated infrastructure projects to keep rising water at bay. The report recommends shifting to denser housing, like apartment buildings, in areas that are less likely to flood. For this to happen at scale, the report says, zoning rules would need to change. If they did, very gradually, we could see fewer new homes with yards and more lots with multiple units on them instead. The report also recommends adapting buildings so they can withstand flooding and improving sewer systems. And what about Mayor Adams's 'City of Yes' plan? Will it allow for enough homes to cover the losses from climate change? The 'City of Yes' plan, which loosens zoning rules within the city, could allow developers to build roughly 80,000 additional homes in New York City. That number seems superficially similar to the number the city, Westchester County and Long Island are expected to lose to flooding by 2040. But it's important to remember that these are all hypotheticals. In fact, the 'City of Yes' initiative might reduce the city's housing needs by only around 14 percent by 2040, according to the report. The city would still be hundreds of thousands of homes short. Expect a mostly sunny, windy day, with temperatures in the mid-40s. In the evening, there will be a mostly clear sky with blustery winds and a low around 31 degrees. In effect until Saturday (Passover). The latest New York news Columbia's former president faced contentious questioning Dr. Katrina Armstrong, the former interim president of Columbia University, told a federal task force during closed-door testimony last week that she could not remember details from the university's report on antisemitism. She repeatedly said that the past year had been such a 'blur' that she had trouble recalling specifics and could not say what steps she had taken to fight antisemitism. Armstrong was questioned as part of an investigation into antisemitism at Columbia. The Trump administration canceled roughly $400 million in federal funding to Columbia last month. Since then, the university has been trying to convince the administration that it is responding to White House demands to do more to fight antisemitism on campus. The session took place several days after Armstrong had stepped down as interim president. The university initially said that she would remain chief executive of the university's medical center. But on Sunday, the medical center said that Armstrong would take a sabbatical, and the university's trustees released a statement distancing themselves from what she said in the deposition. 'This testimony does not reflect the hard work undertaken by the university to combat antisemitism, harassment and discrimination and ensure the safety and well-being of our community,' the trustees said, adding that they were 'firmly committed to resolving the issues raised by our federal regulators, with respect to discrimination, harassment and antisemitism, and implementing the policy changes and commitments' outlined in a letter from the board dated March 21. The board's co-chair was Claire Shipman until her appointment as acting president after Armstrong stepped down. A transcript of the April 1 session with Armstrong was leaked to The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative publication, which published it on Sunday. A government official confirmed its authenticity. My colleague Sharon Otterman writes that the transcript offers a glimpse of the tensions between Columbia and representatives of the Trump administration's multiagency antisemitism task force, which is investigating at least 10 universities in an effort to root out what it sees as disturbing antisemitic activity on campuses. Good Manners Dear Diary: I was strolling through Joan of Arc Park on the Upper West Side. An older woman was walking her little dog in front of me. A young man, evidently in a hurry, passed me and cut right in front of the woman, causing her to stop short. 'Sorry,' the young man said. 'Please excuse me.' The woman nodded and said it was fine. 'I was actually talking to your dog,' the young man said. — Jim Pavia Illustrated by Agnes Lee. Send submissions here and read more Metropolitan Diary here. Glad we could get together here. See you tomorrow. — J.B. P.S. Here's today's Mini Crossword and Spelling Bee. You can find all our puzzles here. Stefano Montali and Ed Shanahan contributed to New York Today. You can reach the team at nytoday@ Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Flooding threatens over 80,000 homes in NYC and suburbs by 2024: Report
The Brief Up to 82,000 homes across New York City, Long Island, and Westchester could be lost to chronic and coastal flooding by 2040, according to a new report. The region faces a housing deficit of 680,000 units due to restrictive zoning and climate-related risks, with zoning laws allowing less than half the housing needed by 2040. The report recommends urgent action, including zoning reform, resilient construction, and strategic buyouts in flood-prone areas to prevent a deepening housing crisis. NEW YORK - A new report from the Regional Plan Association (RPA) projects that tens of thousands of homes across New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County could be lost due to permanent, chronic, and coastal flooding by 2040 — compounding an already severe housing crisis in the region. What we know In its report, the RPA estimates that 82,000 housing units could be lost across New York City, Long Island, and Westchester by 2040 due to sea-level rise and storm-related flooding. That figure could double by 2070. The study warns that 77,300 acres of residential-zoned land—10.5% of all such land in the region—may face future flooding. In New York City, neighborhoods such as the Rockaways, Canarsie, and South Ozone Park are among the most at-risk. In the suburbs, towns like Hempstead, Babylon, Islip, and Brookhaven on Long Island could each lose over 6,000 units. By the numbers 82,000 homes at risk of flooding by 2040 1.26 million new housing units needed by 2040 680,000-unit housing deficit under current zoning laws 1.6 million people could be living in flood-prone zones by 2040 77,300 acres of residential land may face flooding in the study area The backstory Hurricane Sandy in 2012 destroyed or damaged 170,000 homes in New York City and Long Island. Since then, emissions have continued rising globally, and zoning restrictions in the tri-state area—especially on Long Island and in Westchester—have stalled multifamily housing development. Roughly 85% of residentially zoned land in the region allows only single-family homes, limiting options for growth. What's next The RPA says that policymakers need to make sure homes are built to withstand flooding and storms and to buy out housing that's at the greatest risk, all while building more housing outside of flood zones.
