OEM’s non-involvement in Adams’ ‘City of Yes’ housing plan leaving flood-prone Queens at risk: pol

Flooding like the kind that affected residents in the Hamilton Beach section of Queens in September following the remnants of Tropical Storm Ophelia has Councilman Robert Holden concerned that the borough doesn’t have the infrastructure to handle a wave of new residences planned through Mayor Adams’ City of Yes initiative. REUTERS

The Adams administration is “beyond dumb” and “ridiculous” to push for 100,000 new Big Apple homes without consulting the city agency responsible for weather-related emergencies, a Queens pol fumed this week.

City Councilman Robert Holden was flabbergasted when a top Office of Emergency Management official testified at a Monday committee hearing that her agency was not “directly involved in” the mayor’s controversial “City of Yes.”

The program would lift some zoning regulations to help ease New York’s housing crisis, including legalizing many garage and basement apartments.

“The fact that your agency is not involved in this, kind of speaks to this whole ‘City of Yes’ plan and how crazy it is to people who live in a flood-[prone] area,” Holden told OEM First Deputy Commissioner Christina Farrell at the hearing. “And it’s not just coastal areas.”

Office of Emergency Management First Deputy Commissioner Christina Farrell testified that the “City of Yes” housing initiative “is not something” her agency is “directly involved in.

Stephen Yang for NY Post

The city must upgrade sewer lines, power grids and other infrastructure before even considering moving ahead with “City of Yes,” said Holden.

His Queens district — which includes Middle Village and Woodside — is plagued with flooding and power issues. Creating new residential units without updating sewers and other infrastructure first is “ridiculous,” Holden said.

At least 10 adults and a child were killed by flooding in 2021 when Hurricane Ida left swaths of the borough underwater and flooded many basement homes.

Mayor Adams wants to create 100,000 new apartments by cutting through red tape and lifting existing zoning regulations.

Gabriella Bass

Councilman Robert Holden said it’s “ridiculous” the Office of Emergency Management has no role in Mayor Eric Adams’ plans to bring 100,000 new homes to the city.

William Farrington

He doubled down on the remarks Wednesday, telling The Post “it’s beyond dumb not to have OEM involved in a proposal that will overdevelop neighborhoods” to the detriment of residents.

“The fact that OEM doesn’t have a say in the ‘City of Yes’ shows the program should be called ‘City of No Planning,’” Holden added.

Holden insisted he was told by a city Department of Environmental Protection official that DEP, which manages the water and sewer systems, also has no part in “City of Yes.”

However, a DEP spokesman said the department is participating in an ongoing environmental review of how the program would affect New Yorkers and, if approved, would update practices if needed based on the findings.