After months of review by community boards, the public, the borough boards, and the City Planning Commission, the City Council voted to approve Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Zoning for Quality and Affordability (ZQA) proposal. ZQA is one of the major pillars in the Mayor’s affordable housing plan that aims to create and preserve 200,000 units of affordable housing over the next decade.
One of the ways ZQA significantly alters and adds to the text of the Zoning Resolution is regarding required parking for affordable housing units and affordable senior housing residences. ZQA eliminates parking requirements for affordable housing units and affordable senior residences in areas that are served by a variety of public transit options, which is called the “Transit Zone.” Outside of the Transit Zone ZQA reduces parking requirements for affordable housing units and affordable senior housing residences. These changes are designed to reduce the costs of providing parking and therefore encourage the development of more affordable housing.
Existing parking for affordable housing units within the Transit Zone and existing parking for affordable senior housing residences remain subject to the parking requirements in effect prior to the passage of ZQA. However, ZQA also creates new Board of Standards and Appeals special permits that permit the waiving and modifying of existing parking requirements for affordable housing units and affordable senior housing residences in certain circumstances.