Manuel Belliard

The meeting marked the first borough board meeting under the new Manhattan Borough Presidency. Key discussions focused on introductions within the new administration and reaffirming commitment to supporting the community boards. A significant portion of the agenda involved a detailed overview of the New York City budget process for Fiscal Year 2027, including new mandated dates following recent legislation. Topics covered included the Mayor's preliminary budget release, the Independent Budget Office reports, community board responses, and the Borough Board's role in submitting budget priorities and modifications. The overarching themes discussed included improving quality of life, supporting older New Yorkers, transit, housing, and immigrant communities, and engaging with small businesses.

The meeting commenced with the introduction of the new deputy borough president and the announcement of Harold Holtzer as the borough historian, focusing on elevating Lincoln's presence in Manhattan through civic engagement programming, including his speech at Cooper Union. Discussions followed regarding the Civic Engagement Commission presentation. Subsequent segments detailed plans for the upcoming Borough Convention and inauguration ceremony, which will feature performances, elected officials, and a Lincoln impersonator. The convention portion is designed as an interactive fair for community members to set priorities, featuring conversation tables, mapping exercises, StoryCorps recording, a DSNY recycling game, and various cultural exhibits. Furthermore, efforts to secure a long-overdue cost of living adjustment for Community Board personnel were discussed, to be advanced in the upcoming budget cycle. The meeting also highlighted planning for two Black History Month events: an art exhibit featuring Sanford Biggers and a free admission day at the Studio Museum in Harlem.

The town hall meeting featured a question and answer segment focusing on several key policy and regulatory issues. Major discussion points included addressing the warehousing of rent-stabilized units, noting that state legislation closed a loophole allowing landlords to combine units for excessive first rents, and mentioning city council efforts to pass bills regarding conditions arising from adjacent empty units. Another significant topic concerned bicycle safety, specifically addressing cyclists running red lights and riding the wrong way, with discussions about NYPD enforcement, the potential role of Community Court, and state legislation regarding e-bike registration and penalties for hit-and-run incidents involving cyclists compared to drivers. Concerns about anti-Semitism in New York institutions were raised, emphasizing the need for collaborative efforts across law enforcement, government, and educational bodies. Finally, the issue of housing affordability was discussed, highlighting reliance on the private market and LIHTC, and the impact of skyrocketing insurance costs on developers, with discussion about potential state regulation of the insurance market and support for eliminating parking minimums.

This document, the 2025 Edition of 'Housing Manhattanites,' provides an update on the Manhattan Borough President's ongoing efforts to address the borough's housing affordability crisis. It details significant progress on housing creation since the 2023 plan, including 9,471 units moving forward from previously identified sites and the adoption of the Midtown South Mixed-Use Plan, projected to unlock over 9,500 new homes. The update also identifies new housing opportunities from public submissions and a potential rezoning along the 12th Avenue waterfront. Key policy advancements, such as the Universal Affordability Preference (UAP), expanded office-to-residential conversions, and Charter Revision Commission proposals, are highlighted as crucial tools to accelerate housing production and foster a more affordable and inclusive Manhattan.

This Civil Rights Town Hall focused on critical issues including voting rights, abortion rights, and LGBTQ+ rights during a consequential period. Senator Hoylman-Sigal discussed actions taken at the state level to protect civil rights, such as filing an attorney grievance against a deputy attorney general, signing a bill to protect doctors prescribing the abortion pill, advancing the Access to Representation Act for undocumented New Yorkers facing deportation, introducing the Registry for Keeping Justified Records Act (RKJRA) for adult vaccination recording, and extending protections for transgender healthcare providers. The discussion also covered ongoing federal threats, including executive orders targeting vulnerable communities, shifts in federal agencies like the resending of BOP regulations regarding housing transgender individuals based on gender identity, and key Supreme Court cases challenging gender-affirming care bans and religious freedom claims. A speaker from Lambda Legal detailed the negative impacts of federal actions on the LGBTQ+ community, including chilling effects on healthcare access and judicial appointments unfavorable to civil rights challenges. A representative from Planned Parenthood of Greater New York addressed the status of reproductive healthcare, advocating for core investments in infrastructure against anticipated federal attacks.