LNY's First Issue Day Explores Inclusionary Zoning

Leadership New York 25 (LNY25) held its first issue day of a series earlier this month in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. Issue days are part of the program's curriculum to explore topical issues in New York City and to connect participants to key community stakeholders.

The theme was Economic Development and Housing and the issue was Inclusionary Zoning. LNY25 participants were guided by the question: How does New York City address housing needs across a range of incomes while fostering economic development?

The LNY25 cohort consisting of 52 participants experienced group breakout sessions, stakeholder interviews and neighborhood tours, and concluded with a panel discussion featuring two LNY alumni who offered expertise on how the City has addressed affordable housing.

Panelists Cecelia Kushner (LNY22) is currently Director of Special Initiatives, Executive Office at the NYC Department of City Planning and Aaron Koffman (LNY22) is Director of Affordable Housing at The Hudson Companies. 

Earlier in the day, alumnus Ken Mbonu (NL '12) who is Director of Economic Development at Bridge Street Development Corporation, offered a stakeholder interview at his office in Bedford-Stuyvesant, which works to promote economic development in the neighborhood.

Currently, the City provides affordable housing through various programs, including New York City Housing Authority, but more than 227,000 names remain on a wait-list. Mayor Bloomberg has experimented with alternate paths to build affordable housing, but Mayor-elect DeBlasio has proposed mandatory inclusionary zoning (currently it's voluntary).

Some participants indicated that the issue sparked their interest in exploring affordable housing more deeply while others expressed frustration at the vast complexity of the issue.

"I walked into the day with a bias," said Adrienne Nyamsi (LNY25), one of the day's organizers. "But I discovered that there's no right answer to this issue."