The Good, the Bad, and the Maybe from the City of Yes

“Do you live on a nice quiet block with no stores, or in a corner residential building that has no stores! Well that is all about to change! Under Mayor Adams City of Yes ‘COY’ communities all over NYC will be getting a store on every corner and even inside residential buildings that exist on corners!”

On Nextdoor, a social media platform used to share local news, a Carroll Gardens resident posted a long lament on the potential negative impacts of Mayor Adams’s three proposed initiatives that make up “City of Yes.” Despite the extreme reactions, including the city’s own praise for the plans, the results of City of Yes, if implemented, are likely to be much more modest.

City of Yes consists of three citywide initiatives proposed by the NYC Department of City Planning (DCP). This is an important clarification, because DCP cannot open a business, build a house, or install solar panels on its own. All it can do is change regulations to make it possible for others— developers, property owners, businesses—to take these actions. DCP is the city’s primary land use agency, which means they control zoning— the rules and regulations that limit what and where things can be built. In essence, DCP hopes its three City of Yes initiatives will modernize NYC’s zoning, with the aim “to support small businesses, create affordable housing, and promote sustainability.”

The first initiative, City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality, would make it easier to install solar and wind energy systems, energy storage, and infrastructure that supports greener forms of transportation (like electric vehicles and e-mobility). The proposed changes would also support the installation of greener technologies to heat and cool buildings, and even facilitate more rooftop food production and more composting. The initiative was approved by the City Planning Commission in September, with the support of 25 community boards (of 59),