The nominee to lead the Board of Standards and Appeals is the right fit for the challenge ahead.
In the two decades since I first joined the New York City Council, I have seen a significant transformation — for the better — in our city’s conversation around housing. In the coming weeks, the City Council has a chance to continue that momentum, and to take another step toward a more affordable city by confirming John Mangin to chair the Board of Standards and Appeals.
Today, there is no denying that New York has a housing crisis. Leaders across the political spectrum recognize that we need to build more housing of all types to bring down costs. That is a remarkable shift from when I first joined the City Council and even from when I began my work as director of the Department of City Planning (DCP) four years ago. Affordable housing proposals that might have been dismissed on arrival in the 2000s and 2010s now receive serious consideration. While each individual proposal still receives scrutiny, policymakers are now treating the housing crisis as the existential threat to our city that it is.
This is important progress. And while many people have contributed to this transformation, one person has undeniably been pushing our policies forward in that time: John Mangin. Recognizing John’s quiet leadership in unheralded roles over the past decade, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has now nominated him to chair the BSA, a relatively minor board that nonetheless plays an important role in considering new development proposals. The BSA can approve some kinds of development proposals, depending on whether they meet certain “findings,” such as whether a proposed building fits into the neighborhood character or whether a property faces a unique hardship, like an unusual lot shape, that might prevent its ordinary use. Last year, New York City voters also approved a change to the City Charter that created a new “fast track” review process by which the BSA can approve affordable housing proposals.
I can think of nobody better for the role of BSA chair. John has been central to the city’s affordable housing efforts and would be a thoughtful and effective leader of the BSA.
At the Department of City Planning in 2015 and 2016, John helped craft Mandatory Inclusionary Housing, which required affordable housing to be delivered with new housing developments. He was also a key architect of City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, which is expected to deliver more than 80,000 new homes across the city. Our five neighborhood plans that the City Council approved in 2024 and 2025 will bring another 50,000 new homes as well.
These transformative projects will also be paired with billions of dollars in investments and new programs across the city — from more resilient sewers to new schools to safer streets. In his role at DCP, John has been central to these efforts and has helped drive home the need for housing policies that meet the scale of the housing crisis in our city.
But the end product of John’s work on these proposals is not the entirety of why he would be a worthy BSA chair. As a City Council member, I saw zoning as complicated and inaccessible, so when I became director of DCP, I knew we had to rededicate ourselves to public outreach and education. John went above and beyond, meeting with community boards, local advocates and nonprofits, and faith-based organizations across the five boroughs.
As chair of the BSA, John would be responsible for weighing community input on housing proposals alongside complicated legal and financial details. I saw him do exactly that in his time at DCP, speaking with community boards and elected officials and crafting modifications to zoning proposals that meet our shared priorities. He has shown a remarkable dedication to serving New Yorkers and addressing the most pressing issues facing our city.
Some members of the City Council have scrutinized John’s past work and writings, asking whether he will fairly weigh community voices if he is confirmed to the BSA. I have seen John’s dedication to community engagement firsthand and I am confident that he will continue that work at the BSA. He regularly collaborates with community boards, nonprofit and faith-based organizations, and other civic groups to explain zoning proposals, and to ensure that their feedback is reflected in those proposals or in other commitments that accompany them. He will carry this commitment to true public service through to the BSA as he hears public testimony on the projects before the Board.
For as much progress as we have made in recent years, there is still work to do. With the right leadership, the BSA can be a much stronger tool in addressing our city’s housing crisis. John Mangin is the right leader for the job, and I hope the City Council will vote to confirm him.
