By: Hal C Clarke

New York City’s historic residential neighborhoods, including the West Village, Hell’s Kitchen, and the Upper West Side, are facing an escalating challenge as the city grapples with an unprecedented housing shortage.

This issue has been laid bare in a recent analysis conducted by the Department of City Planning; The NY Post reported.

The report reveals a disturbing trend: a decline in the number of available homes and apartments in nearly a dozen neighborhoods within the city over the past year. The scarcity of housing has reached an alarming level, driving the city’s housing crisis to new heights. This shortage has triggered exorbitant rent prices, with the average monthly cost of a new lease in Manhattan soaring to nearly $5,600 in July.

Remarkably, the housing production in New York City has been notably lopsided, with the majority of new developments clustered in just a handful of locations over the last ten years. The areas that have seen the most concentrated growth include Hudson Yards, Long Island City in Queens, and neighborhoods such as Williamsburg, Greenpoint, downtown Brooklyn, DUMBO, and Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn.

City Planning Commissioner Dan Garodnick highlights the necessity for a more widespread distribution of housing production. He emphasizes the need for every neighborhood to contribute to the city’s housing growth to alleviate the crisis.

In light of these findings, the Department of City Planning, under Mayor Eric Adams’ “City of Yes” initiative, is preparing to introduce modifications to the city’s longstanding zoning code. These changes aim to streamline and expedite housing construction across the city, a pivotal step in addressing the crisis.

The report offers a comprehensive look at the specific neighborhoods that have been particularly affected by this housing shortage. Greenwich Village in Manhattan experienced a loss of 23 housing units, while only 10 new apartments or homes were completed. Similarly, Hell’s Kitchen saw a decrease of 35 units while gaining just 21. Other neighborhoods that saw a net loss in housing include Midwood and Gravesend in Brooklyn, Cambria Heights in Queens, Hamilton Heights in Manhattan, and Kingsbridge in the Bronx.

Overall, the city added a mere 26,000 new housing units last year, falling significantly short of Mayor Adams’ ambitious goal of 50,000 annually. This deficit has led to fierce competition among renters who can afford the sky-high prices, while less fortunate New Yorkers find themselves stuck in the city’s overwhelmed shelter system.

A recent study from the RAND Corporation underlines the gravity of the housing shortage, revealing that it has surged by nearly 50 percent in the past decade alone. The demand for housing has outpaced supply, causing rents to skyrocket. This has affected low-income households disproportionately, with rent increases exceeding 25 percent between 2005 and 2021. As a result, potential residents are increasingly seeking housing options outside the city, placing additional pressure on neighboring regions.

The housing crisis has even impacted Long Island, where housing prices have risen by 66 percent over the last ten years, despite building fewer homes and apartments than New York City. To address this dire situation, Mayor Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul have introduced measures aimed at boosting housing production. These include encouraging communities resistant to construction to build new housing, expediting environmental reviews, permitting the conversion of vacant office buildings, and reviving property tax breaks for developers.

However, these efforts have encountered strong opposition from various quarters, from suburban lawmakers to labor unions and progressive activists.