NYC Advocates, Residents Demand Gov. Hochul Prioritize Affordable Housing Over Luxury Tennis Courts

NEW YORK, NY (02/29/2024) (readMedia)-- Community members and housing advocates rallied outside the former Hotel Pennsylvania to demand Governor Kathy Hochul and developer Vornado Realty prioritize urgently needed affordable housing before luxury tennis courts in the Penn neighborhood. Vornado's recent proposal to build tennis courts comes after the company admitted that commercial development in the neighborhood surrounding Penn Station could take more than five years, despite insistence from Governor Hochul that her plan to build more than 17 million square feet of luxury commercial space is still possible.

Watch the event here.

"Governor Hochul continues to back a reckless development plan that would usher in a new office tower campus over the objections of residents and New Yorkers statewide who are desperate for affordable housing wherever possible. But that plan is failing to materialize, leaving New Yorkers in limbo as the neighborhood is frozen around them. Vornado's new tennis courts fantasy is just the latest guarantee that her hoax-despite the Governor's insistence otherwise-will never see the light of day. Rather than continuing to defend her disastrous plan, the Governor must reverse course, honor her promise to build housing where possible, and embrace a more sustainable, housing-first vision for the area NOW," said Paige Havener, Campaign Manager for the End Hochul's Hoax coalition.

The proposal for tennis courts is the latest turn in Governor Hochul's disastrous "General Project Plan", or GPP, that would override New York City's zoning laws to hand 18 million square feet of expensive office and commercial space to Vornado, a major campaign donor, for exclusive development. Vornado's announcement was the latest acknowledgment that the plan is unlikely to begin anytime soon, and was quickly criticized by local lawmakers and residents who called the decision tone-deaf amid a statewide housing shortage.

Background

Governor Hochul has repeatedly promised to prioritize new housing in New York, and acknowledged the State must do everything it can to deliver on that commitment. Despite clear signs that commercial development is impossible in the Penn area, the Governor has continued to block thousands of units of urgently needed affordable housing that could be built in the area. Hochul's plan currently prohibits any affordable housing from being built on most of the land owned by Vornado and requires less than 2% of the total footprint be used for affordable housing. The deal also provides minimal public space, and includes few considerations for mass transit.

Hochul must stay true to her word and stop blocking the creation of housing that New Yorkers need now by embracing a housing-first vision for the Penn-area neighborhood. In December, members of Community Board 5 joined a coalition of residents, small business owners, housing advocates, the Office of the New York City Public Advocate, and other organizations to launch "End Hochul's Hoax", a campaign formally demanding that Governor Hochul abandon support for the plan and instead stand with her constituents by focusing on a plan for the area that delivers affordable housing in the neighborhood.

Last month, Community Board 5 passed a resolution with near unanimous support that cited New York City's pressing housing shortage and criticized the Governor for ignoring the community's proposal for housing in the area.

About End Hochul's Hoax

The End Hochul's Hoax coalition is a group of neighborhood, good government and housing advocates seeking to put an end to Governor Hochul's scandalous deal for the Penn neighborhood. Our coalition plans to raise awareness about the cost of Governor Hochul's plan and her loyalty to donors over people, while urging elected officials to demand the State end Hochul's Penn plan and work to quickly replace it with one that actually delivers what New Yorkers need now.