Opinion: N.Y.C. Neighborhood Rezoning Displaces Vulnerable Residents

A recent report from Churches United for Fair Housing says that neighborhood rezoning in New York City has displaced thousands of residents, particularly in low-income communities of color.

"The lessons of this report should not go unanswered: The City [of New York] needs to fervently acknowledge the racial impact that rezonings have on a neighborhood," writes Rafael Salamanca, a councilmember representing the South Bronx.

Salamanca is cosponsoring legislation that would require racial impact analyses for proposed neighborhood rezonings. He also opposes the Southern Boulevard rezoning in the South Bronx, which would allow upzoning in major transportation corridors.

"As I spoke with my constituents, a very real fear – now confirmed by the CUFFH report – kept coming up: A neighborhood rezoning would accelerate rising rents, price out residents and displace them from the very community they’ve helped build, the community that I am proud to come from," says Salamanca.