The following statement can be attributed to RPA President & CEO Tom Wright:

Regional Plan Association was very pleased to see so many of our priorities take center stage in Governor Hochul’s State of the State address delivered in the State Capital today.

Housing

As conveners of the New York Neighbors coalition, we applaud Governor Hochul for continuing to find ways to promote new housing supply across the state.

In New York City, repealing the 12-Floor Area Ratio cap and providing financial incentives for affordable housing development and conversions will help boost supply. Regulatory relief to ensure the health and safety of tenants in basement apartments will protect vulnerable New Yorkers who currently have little recourse. Streamlining the State Environmental Quality Review process and requiring Pro-Housing certification to access discretionary state funding are also smart, common-sense approaches to help address our housing crisis.

Affordable Gas Transition Act

The Governor’s proposed ​“Affordable Gas Transition Act” picks up critical elements of NY HEAT, which will empower the Public Service Commission to protect consumers from footing the bill for up to $150 billion in unnecessary investments in new gas infrastructure – an essential step to enable the state to reach its ambitious climate goals. RPA applauds the Governor for taking these bold steps and looks forward to working with her administration to secure and implement these proposals and advance our state’s transition to clean and affordable energy.

Buyouts

RPA applauds Governor Hochul’s commitment to equitably moving homeowners out of harm’s way from flooding as our state confronts rising sea-levels and worsening storms. As described in the Fourth Regional Plan, voluntary buyouts are an important tool that will help us transition to changing shorelines, protecting communities beyond the flood zone, and enhancing biodiversity. We look forward to the implementation of the Blue Buffers Voluntary Homeowner Buyout program.

Resilience Plans

The creation of a statewide climate action and resiliency plan is necessary to ensure that adapting to the impacts of climate change happens across local boundaries, while prioritizing disadvantaged communities, critical infrastructure, and sensitive ecosystems. We hope that such a plan will identify areas at greatest risk and help implement projects that are complementary and effective, as called for in the Fourth Regional Plan.

Transportation

Governor Hochul continues to demonstrate extraordinary leadership and commitment to expanding mass transit for New Yorkers. We thank her for her continued support for congestion pricing and her leadership this past year to address the MTA’s budget challenges. She built on that powerful legacy in her speech today.

As we recommended in the 4th Regional Plan, a western expansion of the Second Avenue Subway across Harlem is a wise investment to connect the Q line with seven additional lines, relieve congestion on 125th Street, and better connect East Harlem to the rest of the borough. RPA is thrilled to see this proposal move forward – as well as the advancement of the Interborough Express project to the design and engineering phase – and will work with Governor Hochul and the MTA to make these exciting initiatives become reality.

RPA was also pleased to see the Governor push for the passage of ​“Sammy’s Law” to help ensure the safety of students going to school, as well as her advocacy for a balanced and equitable approach to toll and fare evasion that includes strengthening the Fair Fares program and preparing for the implementation of congestion pricing.