Summary of Comments from Town Hall Meetings From February 28th to…

Summary of Comments from Town Hall Meetings

From February 28th to March 12th, the Mayor's Office of Long-Term Planning and
Sustainability conducted 5 Town Hall Meetings by borough. We sent invitations to
more than 5000 community leaders, public officials, and clergy, who were
encouraged to bring their constituents or other acquaintances. Approximately 600
people attended the meetings. The purpose of these meetings was to both inform the
public about PLANYC and to receive their feedback on the Mayor's "10 Goals for
2030." Their suggestions and comments were collected during small-group

The following summary of the meeting comments are divided by each of the ten
goals. The comments have been categorized by themes, listed in order of most
popular to fewest comments.



HOUSING
Goal: Create homes for almost a million more New Yorkers, while making housing more
affordable and sustainable

Maintain and Promote Affordable and Mixed-Income Housing
There was resounding support throughout all boroughs for preserving and increasing
affordable and mixed-income housing, and comments expressed both general support and
specific ideas for how to do so. Suggested tactics that received numerous remarks
include:
    · Expand or update existing affordable housing subsidies and programs such as the
        Section 8, Mitchell Lama and 80/20 split programs
    · Protect and expand rent-controlled and stabilized housing
    · Incentivize (e.g., with tax breaks) or require developers to set aside a certain
        percentage of affordable housing units in each development
    · Expand or mandate inclusionary zoning
    · Ensure that affordable housing is available and distributed throughout the
        boroughs as well as in "immigrant areas"
    · Make home ownership more affordable by capping purchase prices or helping
        low-income individuals obtain mortgages
    · Re-address and redefine "what affordable is for the lower and middle classes"
    · "Protect the middle class and small businesses"
Individual suggestions included: "Increase education about affordability and home
ownership"; "don't build Atlantic Yards" and use funds to subsidize low income housing;
"build fewer luxury condos," and "leverage private capital through public investment to
build low income housing."




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Increase Housing Supply
Several participants suggested that remediated brownfields be used to build more
housing. Others agreed that upzoning should be encouraged "where appropriate" and
"where infrastructure can support it," and that rezoning be done for underutilized
industrial areas. There was, however, a suggestion to "downzone Manhattan." A few
participants agreed that new housing could be made available by decking over
infrastructure (such as rail yards or the Gowanus/BQE) or building apartments on top of
libraries and retail stores. There were also a few calls for more waterfront housing.
Some more creative suggestions to expand housing supply include promoting more house
sharing and house boats, converting parking garages to housing, using city facilities to
house the homeless, converting abandoned housing for ownership, and "recogniz[ing]
`illegal' conversions as actually being beneficial to the city."

Maintain Neighborhood Character
Many participants agreed that further development should "ensure new building is in
context with existing areas" and should not displace current residents. Several
suggestions were made to incorporate aesthetic requirements for new construction, to
restrict tall buildings to wide streets or where they will not cast shadows, and to generally
increase quality of existing and new housing (including tearing down abandoned or
condemned buildings).

Build social infrastructure commensurate with new housing
Numerous participants emphasized that "social infrastructure" must be improved and
developed in conjunction with housing construction planning, including parks and
community facilities, hospitals/healthcare, education and after-school programs.
Numerous comments also specifically addressed the importance of concentrating housing
development around existing transit hubs and job centers (particularly job centers and
commercial districts in outer boroughs) to increase convenience and reduce commuting
time. Furthermore, several requests were made to increase community planning and
communication during the building process, including involving immigrants in the
decision-making process.

Codes, Policies and City Agencies
Some participants raised the need to simplify the building code ("so it is written in plain
English" or "along the lines of the International Building Code") and to enforce housing
codes. With respect to property taxes, comments suggested greater tax control, tax
increases, and that changes be based on "square footage, not income." Individual
suggestions were also made to improve inter-agency communication, simplify permitting,
prevent eminent domain, protect renters, reduce lobbying of city officials by developers,
increase DCP staff, "crack down on property speculators and scam artists," and "stop tax
exempt development."

Green Buildings
Many comments were made in support for "more environmentally friendly buildings,"
including for affordable green housing. Specific suggestions were made to "put
sustainability practices into the building code" and to incentivize green developments
(e.g., with tax abatement).


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Miscellaneous
Individual miscellaneous suggestions included: promote "shared resource space:
food/energy co-ops," use prefabricated housing to reduce costs, and reduce dependence
on union labor.




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CONGESTION
Goal: Improve travel times by adding transit capacity for millions more residents,
visitors, and workers

Improve and Encourage Use of Mass Transit Options
The greatest number of congestion comments were offered in support of mass transit as
the top solution for easing congestion.
    · Incentives and Infrastructure Improvements: To encourage greater use of mass
        transit, the most common suggestion was to modernize our subway/bus
        equipment and infrastructure and to "improve the travel experience on public
        transit." With respect to subways and buses, there were numerous calls for
        increased frequency of service, affordability (e.g., reduced fares, "prorate
        Metrocard according to poverty/income") and financial incentives (e.g.,
        "reevaluate Transit Check program" and "build disincentives to car travel"),
        efficiency (e.g., "faster-scanning Metrocards"), cleanliness, improved usability
        (e.g., "implement timing announcements in subway"), more park and ride
        systems, and other "passenger amenities at transit hubs." Other individual
        suggestions included: "be sure public transportation can serve non-English
        speaking immigrants," "decrease availability of private transportation," and
        "implement a bus hub-and-spoke system."
    · Specific Transit Types: There was widespread support for increasing the number,
        frequency and quality of all forms of mass transit. Numerous participants
        strongly encouraged implementing a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system ("dedicate
        lanes"..."and make it work"), increasing buses and bus speeds (especially express
        buses with dedicated lanes), significantly increasing ferry service and other
        waterborne transit for commuter and freight (e.g., water taxis), building light rail,
        encouraging pedicabs, and expanding the subway system (and "make the subways
        world-class with higher quality service"). Individual suggestions were made to
        implement trolleys and an integrated regional rail system as well as to "reduce the
        number of NYU buses."
    · Geographic Areas and Specific Transit Lines: The most commonly-mentioned
        transit line was the 2nd Avenue subway, with numerous requests by participants
        from Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens for extensions into their
        boroughs and timely project completion. Participants from all boroughs also
        made general and specific requests for improving transit to the outer boroughs and
        within them.
Each borough provided several specific solutions or transit lines (spanning all transit
modes) needing attention in their neighborhoods, such as "reopen the closed LIRR
stations in Queens," "expand rail freight line in the Bronx to include passenger rail,"
"build light rails across 14th to 125th streets" (Manhattan), "reopen the Rockaway Beach
line" (Queens), and "North Shore and West Shore public transit needs to be developed"
(Staten Island). Individuals also raised the need for better transit options to airports and
for more transit-oriented housing development.

Increase Biking and Walking
Comments offered strong support for improving the "walkability and bikeability of the
city." Several themes were echoed by participants, including:


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   ·   Enhance biking infrastructure (e.g., dedicated and physically-separated bike lanes,
       incentives or requirements for indoor and outdoor bike parking/storage facilities,
       coordinated traffic signals, methods "for buses and subways to transport bikes,"
       and a well-developed bikeway network)
   ·   Improve pedestrian infrastructure (e.g., "reduce sidewalk obstructions," "raised
       sidewalks and pedestrian overpasses")
   ·   Promote safety measures for bikers and pedestrians (e.g., enforce bike traffic
       rules, "more NYPD attention to bike theft" )
   ·   Encourage and educate people on benefits of walking and biking. Ideas include
       giving landlords tax breaks for providing indoor parking and to "implement a city
       bike sharing program like Zipcar."

Limit Parking and Discourage Car Use
Many comments offered support and ideas for reducing congestion through limiting
parking and discouraging car use. The most popular suggestions were for implementing
congestion pricing, promoting carpooling such as through more HOV lanes, making it
more expensive or difficult to park by encouraging market rates, decreasing spots or
enforcing parking laws, reinstating the commuter tax, decreasing large "gas guzzlers and
SUVs" with taxes or surcharges, establishing more car-free streets, and tolling the East
River Bridges. Individual comments included eliminating free parking for city officials,
discouraging city employees from driving, "finding ways for people to work closer to
where they live," and "eliminating car traffic into Manhattan."

Improve Roads and Driving
Some suggestions were made to improve the roads and driving experience in the City.
There were shared sentiments regarding the need to enforce current traffic rules and
improve road safety (particularly for school children through the Safe Routes to School
program). Specific individual suggestions to improve traffic flow included a new tunnel
from Brooklyn to Manhattan, "Staten Island needs wider roads," "more one way streets
and avenues," "make taxis wait on corners, not drive around," "two-way tolling on the
Verrazano Bridge," and "expand reverse commute capacity."

Freight/Commercial Traffic
Suggestions for ameliorating the role of congestion played by freight/commercial traffic
included: incentivize or mandate off-peak or alternative delivery times, "use the water
network to get trucks off the road," "close off some streets to private vehicle traffic," and
"build the Cross Harbor Freight Tunnel."




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Miscellaneous
Several participants encouraged flextime, staggered workdays and telecommuting to
reduce rush hour loads. A few also supported incentivizing commercial development and
promoting job creation in outer boroughs to reduce commute times. A few remarks
highlighted the importance of promoting fuel/energy efficiency, cleanliness (in terms of
air pollution) and overall sustainability of the City's subways, buses and taxis. Individual
miscellaneous comments included: "build underwater moving sidewalks," "allow
citizens to issue traffic tickets," "link transportation growth to expected population
growth," and tear down underused roads. A question raised was: "how will displaced
persons be compensated if North Shore RR is built?"




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PARKS
Goal: Ensure that all New Yorkers live within a 10-minute walk of a park

Specific Ideas for Park Venues
Numerous participants offered the following ideas for park venues: building more green
roofs and rooftop parks and "ensure they are publicly accessible," remediating
brownfields, adding community gardens, providing schools and schoolyards as off-hour
parks and "recreation centers,", creating "pocket parks and plazas," planting greenways
along waterfronts, converting parking spaces to "sidewalk cafes/parks," and replacing the
Sheridan Expressway with a greenway. Several comments simply suggest "greening the
streets with more plants and trees."
Individual ideas for conversion to parks or other types of recreation areas included: "car-
free Sundays on Grand Concourse," Pier 40, "make private gardens public," linear parks
next to the Staten Island highways, and "complete plans to convert Brookfield and Fresh
Kills landfills into parks."

Require or Incentivize Developers to Build Parks
Numerous participants encouraged the city to incentivize or require developers to "have
set asides for parks," "green spaces," or other recreational areas. A specific idea raised
was to "compel developers to contribute to an open space fund." Another comment
suggested the parks should be protected from development.

Improve the Park System
Many participants emphasized the importance of improving, maintaining and cleaning
existing parks as well as maximizing "universal accessibility" (both in terms of being
located near transit modes and being public vs. private parks). A few shared the
sentiment for increased "community input with regards to park design" and for
connecting parks "to create a total system." Individual ideas included: establish a
"lottery for gardens in parks," "increase water retention areas in parks," more dog
amenities, more money for "park stewardship and youth programs," "get cars out of
parks," "staff parks with recreational aides," and "curtail large or private institutions
dominating parks."

Additional miscellaneous suggestions included: eliminate artificial grass use, cluster
health care facilities near parks, "expand agricultural education at community gardens,"
and build hospitals, schools and senior housing instead of parks.




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WATER NETWORK
Goal: Develop critical back-up systems for our aging water network to ensure long-term
reliability

Improve Water Infrastructure and Administration
"Finish 3rd water tunnel" was the most prevalent comment related to improving the
City's water infrastructure, and in one case, the text which followed said "and then
immediately upgrade old tunnels." Other shared remarks were to repair/upgrade
plumbing in older buildings, "fix leaks city wide," and expand water quality monitoring.
Individual suggestions included: promote "distributed water storage" (with a separate
specific comment to "use the Brooklyn-Queens aquifer for long-term emergency water
storage") and "establish a wireless water metering system to free up manpower and
increase maintenance."

Encourage Sustainable Alternatives
Numerous participants offered support for reducing the strain on our potable water
resources by utilizing graywater and rainwater for non-potable uses. Specific ideas
included: tax credits for graywater or rainwater harvesting and use, requirement that
graywater be used for landscape irrigation, and even creation of a "dedicated graywater
water network." Several comments were made to investigate the feasibility of
desalination as an alternative water source.

Protect Our Water Sources
Numerous comments also addressed the importance of protecting the upstate watershed.
Individual suggestions included: "use new technologies to increase water supply,"
"explore water resources to the west of the city," and "expand use of natural systems for
flood control and pollution control."

Promote Conservation and Efficiency
Many participants supported efforts to encourage water conservation and efficiency.
Individual suggestions included: incentivize low flow toilets, use "new technologies to
recycle, conserve and supply water," increase conservation education programs, and
charge more for water to promote conservation.




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STATE OF GOOD REPAIR
Goal: Reach a full "state of good repair" on New York City's roads, subways, and rails
for the first time in history

Lessen Road Damage by Reducing Traffic
Many participants provided suggestions for lessening road damage by reducing traffic.
The greatest emphasis related to stimulating more mass transit use by improving
availability throughout all boroughs, overall riding experience (e.g., "modernize the
subway," "make the subways rat-free"), and accessibility (particularly for senior and
disabled access). Another area of emphasis was on disincentivizing and reducing truck
traffic, with ideas such as moving more freight by rail or water and enforcing truck
weight rules.
Other common remarks included: encourage biking and walking, implement financial
disincentives to driving (through higher tolls, commuter tax and congestion pricing),
increase cost and inconvenience of parking, and make certain streets or NYC as a whole
"car free." Individuals suggested disincentivizing "big box retail stores" and promoting
"better jobs/housing balance throughout the city."

Increase Funding, Improve Maintenance
Participants stressed the need to "stop deferring maintenance" and to "reinforce existing
infrastructure before building more." They offered ideas for specific repairs needed, such
as cobblestone streets in historic areas, potholes, bridges, catch basins and drainage
issues. Specific suggestions for funding maintenance and repairs included: congestion
pricing, MTA surpluses, "look at sponsorship," dedicated tolls, "tax credits or bounties
for potholes filled," and "get Federal and State governments to pay their fair share."

Improve Policies and Public Agency Administration
Several comments offered a variety of policy and administrative suggestions to achieve a
state of good repair. Shared ideas included: enforce truck traffic and weight rules, make
contractors accountable for their work, and reduce traffic speeds through improved traffic
light timing and operations. Individual suggestions for improved administration
included: "stop using bonds for operating funds," "reinforce tax collection mechanisms
to prevent cheating," "coordinate road construction with DOT to minimize traffic
disruptions," "have local small businesses work on small road projects," and "better
inspection via surveillance cameras."

Miscellaneous individual remarks included: "plan for pedestrians," "put signage in
landmarked neighborhoods," "improve bus scheduling to airports," "create a `teaching
fellows' program for environmental engineers," and "create pervious pavement surfaces."




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ENERGY
Goal: Provide cleaner, more reliable power for every New Yorker by upgrading our
energy infrastructure

Increase Sustainable Energy Alternatives
Participants in all boroughs showed tremendous support for the city's diversification to
renewable and other alternative energy sources, with numerous calls for exploring,
incentivizing or expanding the City's use of solar, wind, tidal, hydro, geothermal,
biomass, waste conversion, biodiesel, and cogeneration technologies. Several support the
development of distributed generation (using some of the aforementioned technologies as
well as fuel cells). One discussion group suggested "explore nuclear energy" while
another remarked "don't consider nuclear energy."
Ideas provided to effect or encourage such diversification included: allow consumers to
purchase green power through Con Ed, allow for net metering (including commercial net
metering), place solar collectors on street lights, and expand tax credits for solar power.

Promote Energy Conservation and Efficiency
Numerous participants from Brooklyn and Manhattan emphasized the need to "promote
energy efficiency everywhere" and identify suitable conservation practices. Shared
remarks were directed at more efficient lighting (e.g., "use LEDs or CFLs for street
lighting," "incorporate smart controls"), heating/cooling (e.g., "make a law against air
conditioning waste," "retrofit thermostats for tenant control of utilities") and appliances
("subsidize use of energy efficient appliances"). Several suggested reducing peak
electricity demand and incorporating energy-efficient green building practices into
construction requirements.

Miscellaneous
Several suggestions were made regarding each of these three issues: (1) Upgrade the
electric grid, re-power old power plants, and update the grid with advanced, cleaner,
more efficient technology. (2) Consider environmental justice issues such as more
equitable power plant siting and assistance to small and/or immigrant businesses that are
disproportionately harmed by blackouts. (3) Ameliorate air pollution caused by power
plants by penalizing polluting power producers and retrofitting power plants to meet
clean air standards.




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CLIMATE CHANGE
Goal: Reduce global warming emissions by more than 30%

Reduce Vehicular Emissions
The greatest number of suggestions for this goal addressed the reduction of vehicle
emissions by: incentivizing vehicles using cleaner fuels or hybrid technology (with
particular mentions of targeting city fleets, taxis and buses), promoting biking and
walking by improving bike and pedestrian infrastructure, enforcing idling laws,
increasing the use of mass transit, and reducing car usage.

Reduce Emissions from Buildings
Participants from all boroughs also voiced support for improving the energy efficiency
and environmental performance of buildings. The most common suggestions included:
"build more green roofs," "expand and enforce the Green Building Law," encourage or
require the use of compact fluorescent lighting, improve efficiency of heating and cooling
systems, turn lights off in city/school/commercial buildings at night, and generally
retrofit buildings to be more energy efficient. There was an individual suggestion to
"increase education amongst developers and landlords."

Promote Conservation, Recycling and Education
The next most common category of suggestions involved the promotion of environmental
education and consciousness, with a focus on educating the public about global warming
and its effects (with particular mention of students and landlords), promoting composting
(with a suggestion that composting be "specifically managed by the Department of
Sanitation), increasing and improving recycling, emphasizing conservation and reuse of
products, and encouraging businesses and the city (which "should be a role model") to
purchase "recycled goods" or "green supplies." An individual also suggested that "green
purchasing patterns" be encouraged in general.

Miscellaneous
Numerous calls were made to "expand tree plantings" and other vegetative cover
throughout the City. Policy-oriented suggestions included: implement a carbon tax, "use
market-based techniques to control emissions," and "promote environmental pricing
versus market pricing of goods." Several participants also pointed to increasing
alternative energy sources such as solar ("give major tax breaks or incentives"), vertical
wind turbines, hydro, tidal, and waste-to-energy. With respect to increased violent
storms or rising sea levels due to global warming, participants called for better
preparedness measures and education.




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AIR QUALITY
Goal: Achieve the cleanest air of any big city in America

Decrease Vehicular Emissions and Pollutants
More than half of the suggestions for improving air quality addressed the need to reduce
vehicular emissions and pollutants. The most common category of ideas relate to
increasing the use of alternative vehicles and fuels, such as: incentivize/mandate taxis,
buses and city fleets to be electric or other hybrid vehicles; support biodiesel; encourage
pedicabs and other "non-motorized transport;" and designate "sustainable vehicle lanes."
Other common suggestions involved promoting biking and walking with improved bike
and pedestrian infrastructure, encouraging or mandating less-polluting trucks, enforcing
idling laws, facilitating mass transit use, and discouraging driving through decreased
parking availability or "car free days in certain areas." A few calls were made to tax "gas
guzzlers," SUVs, and SUV limos.

Plant More Trees and Protect Open Space
Participants from all boroughs also strongly supported increasing the City's tree canopy
and open space, with suggestions including: provide tax credits for planting trees,
promote green roofs (such as "on all city buildings") and green streets, and "build more
open space, protect it from development."

Miscellaneous
Common miscellaneous comments included: increase recycling and conservation,
"encourage alternative forms of power," expand the Green Building Law, and increase air
quality monitoring (including mobile emissions testing). Individual ideas included:
"focus resources on worst neighborhoods first," "implement a gas tax and dedicate funds
to health care," and "work with neighboring states to clean our downwind air."




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BROWNFIELDS
Goal: Clean up all contaminated land in New York City

Prevent Future Contamination
The most common suggestions involved the prevention of future contamination, with a
focus on improving/expanding recycling, decreasing the creation of non-biodegradable
waste, reducing excess packaging and use of plastic bags, and holding polluters and
manufacturers who generate waste responsible for their actions.

Cleaning Up Brownfields
Several participants suggested ways to fund and/or expedite remediation, including: "sell
land for $1 to developers willing to pay for cleanup," "require developers to pay into a
brownfields redevelopment fund," and provide tax breaks to lower remediation costs. A
few participants also agreed on promoting bioremediation and on fining polluters or
making them responsible for cleanup costs. Individual ideas included: "prioritize
brownfield clean up in low income communities" and "be mindful of spoils disposal:
where will the toxic dirt and dust end up?"

Miscellaneous
With respect to the use of remediated brownfields, individuals suggested housing,
affordable housing, and parks. Individuals supported "blue collar job creation on
brownfield sites" and "community involvement in post-cleanup plans for land." Policy
and administrative suggestions included: "enforce current rules and make rules more
stringent," "revisit brownfield legislation," give extra LEED points for NYC brownfield
construction, and "look at new insurance laws that provide protection" for brownfield
purchases. Individual suggestions also included: introduce "green responsibility
education in schools," "endow a green infrastructure chair at CUNY," and "buy the
NASCAR site, conserve as open space."




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WATER QUALITY
Goal: Open 90% of our waterways for recreation by reducing water pollution and
preserving our natural areas

Reduce Pollution and Storm Water Runoff
The most common suggestion for improving the City's water quality was to reduce storm
water runoff through increased permeable surfaces, green roofs, graywater usage,
rainwater harvesting, and street trees. To reduce pollutants and litter from entering our
waterways, participants suggested reducing street salting, banning pesticide use in the
city, educating people about natural cleaning products, and controlling street littering.

Enhance Waterfront and Ferry Access
Participants voiced strong support for prioritizing waterfront development and improving
public access to waterfronts and waterways. Ideas included: create more parks, public
piers, bluebelts and other public recreation spaces along the waterfront; "create more park
alliances;" and increase community involvement on waterfront issues. A few individuals
asked for increased ferry service (including "explore hydrofoil ferries"), allowing kayak
crossings, and "more non-motorized boat launches on the East River." Individual
comments also included: "increase and stabilize wetlands," "plant native species along
shoreline," "mitigate the effects of dredging," and "use bioremediation and natural
methods to clean up waterways," such as using oyster beds to facilitate water filtration.

Reduce Combined Sewage Overflows
Numerous participants emphasized the need to "reduce CSO events," with individual
ideas such as: obtain federal government funding for sewage infrastructure, build "a
separate storm and sanitary sewer system," use "low impact development and non
structural alternatives," and "pay for water treatment plants for secondary and tertiary
pollution."




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