Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday laid out his plans for the future.
This year’s State of the City address was billed as Adams’ quote “ambitious plans to best position working class New Yorkers for the future.”
This year’s State of the City was more about delivering everyday results to New Yorkers versus the mayor announcing a major legacy project.
“Thanks to the hard work of this administration and millions of dedicated New Yorkers, the state of our city is strong. Far stronger than it was two years ago,” said Adams as he started his remarks.
A big focus was on housing, including the creation of thousands of units of affordable housing.
“24 in 24, in 2024, our housing agency will advance 24 development projects on public sites to create or preserve over 12,000 units,” Adams said.
The plan seems to be a way for Adams to forge forward without the need of state help.
Last year a major housing proposal stalled in the legislature that would have allowed state officials to override local zoning for some projects. And the legislature had failed to renew the tax incentive 421-a, that gives tax breaks to developers who build affordable housing.
“We cannot say, no to our neighbors, or our fellow New Yorkers. We must be a city of us. Yes, in my backyard. Yes, on my block. Yes, in my city,” he said.
The plan will begin with four developments, including one in the Grand Concourse section of the Bronx and Inwood in Manhattan.
“A lot of these sites because they are publicly owned sites. They give us the opportunity to fast track them and get them out of the gate right away,” Adolfo Carrión, the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner, said after the speech.
City officials said they are talking to state lawmakers to try and get a housing deal passed this session.
“We can’t afford one more legislative session without results,” Carrión said.
As part of his emphasis on public safety, the mayor also announced plans for a new agency, the Department of Sustainable Delivery, aimed at safety surrounding e-bike deliveries.
“We will combine work that is now spread over multiple agencies, establishing goals and guidelines on everything from traffic safety to corporate accountability,” Adams said. “With the Department of Sustainable Delivery we will be able to do much more, including educating riders and enforcing standards for lithium-ion batteries.”
The agency aims to be the main point of contact and regulation for the micromobility industry across the city.
“What we don’t have today is a front door for every delivery company to come through, register with the city, tell us how many people are going to be out there serving New York City and really register the rules of the road,” Deputy Mayor of Operations Meera Joshi said, whose portfolio includes e-bike issues.
However, the mayor did leave out some major issues from his address, including the ongoing battle with the City Council over two pieces of legislation.
“I think ostensibly missing was a discussion about the bills that are being vetoed and trying to rip the city apart on a reporting bill,” Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said, who sponsored the “How Many Stops Act,” the mayor vetoed.
One major topic the mayor lightly brushed on was the migrant crisis. He repeated his accomplishments, getting some of them out of the city's care and called for more federal help, but didn't offer any new policy on the issue. Adams also left out the city's budget woes.