Midtown rezoning advances to NYC Council vote, would allow nearly 10K new homes

Midtown Manhattan could become even more bustling in the coming years under a major rezoning plan now headed to the New York City Council for a vote.

The City Planning Commission on Wednesday approved the Midtown South Mixed-Use Plan, which would allow nearly 10,000 new homes to be built across 42 blocks between West 23rd and 40th streets and Fifth and Eighth avenues. The area today is largely defined by commercial and industrial uses, with current land-use rules restricting new housing development.

The rezoning calls for about 3,000 income-restricted units and more flexibility for office-to-residential conversions, while maintaining light-manufacturing, office and retail spaces. Planning officials say the City Council is expected to hold a hearing and final vote this summer on the measure, which could turn the area into a more “24/7 neighborhood” like the Financial District.

“Midtown South is home to some of our city’s most iconic parks, buildings, and businesses, yet for too long, outdated zoning has stopped it from actually being a home for many New Yorkers,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement. His administration has been pursuing neighborhood and citywide zoning changes to spur more housing and economic development as the city deals with a severe shortage of affordable homes.

“It’s hard to believe that in an area this central, with a housing crisis this dire, that if someone wanted to build housing here, the city’s own rules would prevent it,” Planning Commission Chair Dan Garodnick said at the panel’s meeting Wednesday. “We must find every opportunity possible to give New Yorkers housing relief and turn the tide on this crisis.”

He added that this is the first rezoning to use tools from the Adams’ administration’s “City of Yes” land-use initiative to boost housing production, which councilmembers approved last year. Those tools include high-density residential zoning districts that permit more units.

Officials said the rezoning would spur streetscape and transit-access improvements thanks to density bonuses for developers who provide such benefits. One provision would give developers an incentive to include space for public schools in their plans, officials added.

“Manhattan used to be a place where a young adult or a new New Yorker could start their journey and carve out their own path — a possibility that has become far, far too difficult for most people to achieve over the last couple of decades,” Garodnick said. “With this plan, we can begin to make that dream a reality again in Midtown South.”