Things got loud quickly last night at a town hall with the mayor in East Harlem.
Mayor Bill de Blasio's pushing a plan to rezone the neighborhood.
He says this would allow for the creation of more affordable housing.
But there's concern it would actually force out longtime residents.
"These market rate apartments will drive up rent in the neighborhood, gentrify the neighborhood, push families out," one speaker said, addressing de Blasio directly. "It seems like you are doing this with the developers who donated to your campaign in mind, not the people in the communities being rezoned."
"It's an opportunity for us to build new affordable housing," the mayor responded. "And I am convinced, I wouldn't do it otherwise, I'm convinced that the market rate housing is not going to change the trajectory of all neighborhoods, this one in particular because you have more permanent affordable housing than any place in the city."
By the mayor's count, this was his thirty-fifth town hall meeting since taking office.