A 'moonshot' number to build needed housing
The mayor's plan to streamline housing construction, and a cursed burrata
#26
50,000. Or 500,000.
Those are the number of homes Mayor Eric Adams and his team hope will get built over the next decade as they suggest 111 ways to streamline the process of building housing across New York City.
The 50,000 comes from the estimated $2 billion developers can save by changes to a process tied up in antiquated regulations, according to Deputy Mayor Maria Torres Springer. To show just how much work this was, the mayor had giant boxes and stacks of paper on display as he took questions about this plan at City Hall.
The mayor’s spokesman smiles at his work
The 500,000 number is a “moonshot” number, Torres Springer said, which meets the demands and needs in a city that continues to have a housing crisis. You know what they say about shooting for the moon – you end up in the stars!
You can read more – including the role the Bronx will play in a lot of this housing – in THE CITY.
Other interesting reads this week:
+ What makes a business “marginal”? [THE CITY]
+ Some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers are having their benefits stolen through skimming. There’s not much that can be done to help them. [THE CITY]
+ Two homeless services providers break into legal weed industry, with different approaches. [CITY LIMITS]
+ This burrata dish will haunt my dreams. [EATER]
And! I interviewed Miss New York this week on FAQNYC. You may be surprised to learn about the new Miss America competition if you’re still thinking of the old-school version. And I did co-emcee this year’s Miss New York. [FAQ]
LISTEN
One of my favorite bands is the Irish group Bell X1, from Ireland. Their recent Live at St. Luke’s concert, accompanied by strings, is a great arrangement of many of their songs.
The band’s lead singer, Paul Noonan, also has a side project with electronic artist Daithi called HousePlants that I really love. (Daithi had a hit song in Ireland by mixing his grandmother talking about how she met her husband over some beats.)
Lately I’ve been listening to one or the other, depending on the time of day. A few select tracks:
“Seaglass” by HousePlants
“Velcro (Live at St. Luke’s)” by Bell X1 and Dowry Strings
“I Go Where You Go” by Bell X1
whatever you say pal. thanks for reading!