Press Releases

For Immediate Release
June 9, 2023

Contacts:
Casey Berkovitz, Joe Marvilli – press@planning.nyc.gov (212) 720-3471

NEW YORK – Department of City Planning Director Dan Garodnick today announced a public information session on Mayor Eric Adams' City of Yes for Economic Opportunity initiative, which will support small businesses and entrepreneurs, create thriving commercial corridors, and bolster New York City’s economic recovery. Taking place on Tuesday, June 13 at 7 pm, this session will provide New Yorkers with an opportunity to hear more details and ask questions about this proposal to modernize zoning rules to ensure businesses can succeed and grow, and ensure New Yorkers have access to thriving commercial corridors. RSVP here.  

“New York City’s small businesses are the lifeblood of our neighborhoods, and they deserve our support – but zoning rules that regulate where businesses can locate or grow are holding back their success. City of Yes for Economic Opportunity will make life easier for local shops and provide the flexibility needed for economic growth. Please join us at this session to learn more about how this initiative will help our mom-and-pop shops and build thriving neighborhoods,” said Dan Garodnick, Department of City Planning Director and Chair of the City Planning Commission. 

City of Yes for Economic Opportunity is designed to support small businesses and entrepreneurs by removing outdated limitations on businesses and ensuring that local retail corridors and commercial centers across the city can remain lively places that sustain our neighborhoods. These changes will help New York City continue to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and create more opportunities for neighborhood shops to open, expand, and thrive.  

To create a more prosperous New York City, City of Yes for Economic Opportunity would allow more businesses to locate near their customers, support growing businesses and industries, foster vibrant neighborhood, and give businesses more certainty and clarity with updated rules. Among other policies, it would remove unnecessary limitations on which types of businesses are allowed in commercial districts, support reuse of existing buildings, provide additional flexibility for small-scale, clean production space, make clear and consistent ground floor urban design regulations, and remove zoning restrictions on dancing, music, and comedy.  

Once the formal public review process begins in the fall, all 59 Community Boards and all five Borough Boards and Borough Presidents will have an opportunity to review and offer recommendations on this citywide text amendment. Next, it will go before the City Planning Commission for a public hearing and a vote. If the Commission votes in favor of the application, it would then head to the City Council for a public hearing and vote. 

City of Yes for Economic Opportunity is the second of three expansive mayoral “City of Yes” initiatives for a more inclusive and equitable city. The other two proposals are: 

• City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality – currently in public review, this initiative is designed to help New York City meet its ambitious goal of reducing its carbon emissions by 80% by 2050 by updating its zoning to make it easier to green our buildings, our streets, and our city. 
• City of Yes for Housing Opportunity – an inclusive, citywide approach to our City’s housing crisis that aims to expand and diversify the housing supply, and ensure that every neighborhood does its part to help meet housing needs and provide equitable access to housing for all New Yorkers. This proposal is expected to start public review next spring. 

For any questions on City of Yes for Economic Opportunity, please email EconomicOpportunity@planning.nyc.gov.

Department of City Planning
The Department of City Planning (DCP) plans for the strategic growth and development of the City through ground-up planning with communities, the development of land use policies and zoning regulations applicable citywide, and its contribution to the preparation of the City’s 10-year Capital Strategy. DCP promotes housing production and affordability, fosters economic development and coordinated investments in infrastructure and services, and supports resilient, sustainable communities across the five boroughs for a more equitable New York City.

In addition, DCP supports the City Planning Commission in its annual review of approximately 450 land use applications for a variety of discretionary approvals. The Department also assists both government agencies and the public by advising on strategic and capital planning and providing policy analysis, technical assistance and data relating to housing, transportation, community facilities, demography, zoning, urban design, waterfront areas and public open space.