UPPER WEST SIDE — Mayor Bill de Blasio touted his affordable housing plan at a forum focused on senior housing and keeping the city affordable Wednesday night that brought out hundreds of local seniors and residents.
Held at the Lincoln Square Neighborhood Association, the mayor used the town hall-style meeting to sell locals on his plan, which still needs City Council approval.
The conversation branched out to cover other issues as well, including construction near local schools, the glut of luxury developments in the neighborhood and city, and residents getting pushed out of rent-controlled and rent-stabilized units.
On the issue of Jewish Home Lifecare building a tower next to P.S. 163 on West 97th Street, the mayor said it was an issue his administration was "very concerned about" and that he understood it was "still being worked on."
De Blasio did not make any specific commitments as to how he was handling concerns from parents and residents about children and adults with compromised health living next to a construction site for several years.
Many of the city's top commissioners were on hand, with the mayor referring to them repeatedly to help solve individuals cases people brought to him during the question-and-answer session.
In many instances, the mayor admitted the problems facing seniors and residents were out of his control, including income rules for rental assistance programs, NYCHA's $17 billion deficit and luxury developments that are built as-of-right.
Here are more highlights from the forum, live-tweeted with the hashtag #bdbtownhall:
