On Sept. 25, 2024, the New York City Planning Commission voted to approve, with modifications, the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity (COYHO), a city-sponsored text amendment with the goal of providing a little more housing in every neighborhood, by a vote of 10-3. Not to be outdone, later that evening, federal prosecutors announced that Mayor Eric Adams had been indicted on federal criminal charges. So, where do we go from here?

COYHO is the final piece of Adams' City of Yes vision, a trio of legislative packages that seek to modernize and update the city's zoning regulations (the first being the City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality to promote sustainability, which passed in December 2023, and the second being the City of Yes for Economic Opportunity to support economic growth and resiliency, which passed in June 2024). Even before the mayor's indictment, COYHO appeared to be on shaky ground. Only one-third or so of the city's community boards voted yes (and mostly, with conditions), and several prominent members of the New York City Council have been publicly skeptical of the proposal. Now, given Adams' precarious political position, COYHO's fate is even more uncertain.