Five More Affluent NYC Neighborhoods to Upzone

Moses Gates writes for the Regional Plan Association to present a vision for affluent New York neighborhoods that includes more zoned capacity for housing development—i.e., upzoning.

The article is presented in context of the ongoing effort to upzone NoHo and SoHo in Manhattan—the most affluent neighborhood to be rezoned for more development capacity in a recent series of rezoning processes in New York City.

• NoHo and SoHo Rezoning Controversies, Amplified (September 2020)
• Advocating for Upzoning in Two of New York's Wealthiest Neighborhoods (June 2019)
• Op-Ed: SoHo and NoHo Need a Zoning Overhaul (June 2019)
• SoHo and NoHo Next for the New York City Rezoning Tour (September 2018)

The central argument of Moses's writing here: that NoHo and SoHo might be there first, but they shouldn't be the last:

For too long, higher-income, majority-white neighborhoods have been able to stymie development and affordable housing, shifting the burden onto other, lower-income neighborhoods. We need affordable housing in every neighborhood, especially ones without it.

Another rezoning process in an affluent part of the city is already underway in Gowanus, but more "could easily follow," according to Moses, who has some specific recommendations: Midwood, Forest Hills North, Riverdale, the Meatpacking District and the Far-West Village, and Grasmere.

For those keeping track at home, that's all five boroughs, and a lot more detail is included to explain the specific potential of each neighborhood to add more housing capacity.