Move New York

Move New York
Name	Move New York
Formation	2018
Type	Political advocacy group
Headquarters	New York City, New York
Region served	New York State
Leader title	Executive Director

Move New York is a political advocacy organization focused on housing, zoning, and land-use reform in New York City, Albany, New York, and surrounding areas. The group promotes changes to statutory frameworks and local policies to increase housing supply and alter development patterns, engaging with elected officials, community groups, and media outlets. Move New York's work intersects with debates involving prominent actors such as Andrew Cuomo, Bill de Blasio, Kathy Hochul, and municipal bodies including the New York City Council and the New York State Legislature.

History

Move New York was formed in the late 2010s amid intensified public debate over housing affordability in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island. Its emergence coincided with policy disputes involving the Zoning Resolution of the City of New York, line-item battles in the New York State Assembly, and mayoral contests featuring candidates such as Eric Adams and Rudy Giuliani in historical context. The organization’s timeline includes advocacy during high-profile episodes like the rezoning of Hudson Yards, debates over Inclusionary Zoning programs, and legislative sessions convened in the New York State Capitol that also handled measures debated alongside proposals from groups like Corcoran Group and Related Companies.

Early supporters included housing-focused donors and activists who previously engaged with campaigns around the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019, municipal planning debates influenced by professionals from institutions such as Columbia University’s Urban Planning circles and alumni of the New York University Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. The group established a public profile through endorsements, paid media, and partnerships tied to strategies used by advocacy networks similar to Enterprise Community Partners, Habitat for Humanity, and Citizens Housing and Planning Council.

Mission and Goals

Move New York's stated mission centers on increasing housing supply and reforming land-use frameworks across New York State to address affordability pressures affecting neighborhoods including Williamsburg, Astoria, Harlem, Flushing, and Battery Park City. Its goals align with policy prescriptions advocated by think tanks and advocacy organizations such as Urban Institute, Brookings Institution, and Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, emphasizing changes to the Zoning Resolution of the City of New York, expansion of upzoning in transit-accessible corridors, and streamlining approvals administered by agencies like the New York City Department of City Planning and the New York City Planning Commission.

The organization prioritizes proposals often endorsed by developers and planners associated with firms like Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Bjarke Ingels Group, and Kohn Pedersen Fox, and engages with elected officials from parties including the Democratic Party (United States) and progressive coalitions that have supported initiatives resembling aspects of Transit-Oriented Development and market-based housing supply measures.

Campaigns and Activities

Move New York has pursued campaigns advocating for rezoning proposals, regulatory waivers, and ballot initiatives modeled on policy tools used in cities such as London, Tokyo, and San Francisco. Tactics include public advertising, policy white papers, lobbying in the New York State Assembly and New York State Senate, and coalition-building with organizations like Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Regional Plan Association, and neighborhood groups active in Community Board 1 (Manhattan), Community Board 3 (Brooklyn), and other local bodies.

Notable activities involved public communications during municipal electoral cycles, influence operations targeting committees within the New York City Council—including the Committee on Housing and Buildings—and participation in public hearings at venues like City Hall (New York City). The group has also commissioned research and modeling drawing on methodologies used by institutions such as MIT, Princeton University, and Rutgers University to argue for increased density and amendments to parking and height regulations exemplified in cases like the East Midtown Rezoning.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

Move New York’s leadership structure includes an executive director, policy staff, communications directors, and grassroots organizers. Leadership has engaged with former public officials, policy professionals, and advocates who previously worked for entities such as the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, Office of the Mayor of New York City, and campaigns for figures like Michael Bloomberg and Bill de Blasio. Advisors and board members have included professionals with ties to academic institutions such as Columbia University, New York University, and Cornell University.

Operationally, the organization coordinates field operations in boroughs across the city, leveraging volunteer networks resembling the grassroots structures of political organizations like Housing Now and municipal advocacy groups such as The Fair Housing Justice Center.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources for Move New York have included individual donors, political action committees, and philanthropic foundations operating in the housing space similar to Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Open Society Foundations. The organization has reported partnerships and collaborative efforts with real estate industry stakeholders including brokerage firms, development companies, and construction trade associations akin to the Real Estate Board of New York and development firms such as Extell Development Company.

Move New York’s financing model mirrors hybrid funding strategies used by advocacy organizations that combine private donations, foundation grants, and electoral-cycle expenditures tracked by entities like the New York City Campaign Finance Board and monitored in disclosures before bodies including the New York State Board of Elections.

Criticism and Controversies

Critics of Move New York include tenant-rights groups, community activists, and elected officials aligned with progressive platforms such as those advocated by figures like AOC and organizations like Housing Justice for All. Opponents argue that policies promoted by the organization risk accelerating displacement in neighborhoods like East New York and Washington Heights, echoing critiques leveled at developers including Tishman Speyer and policy positions once associated with Robert Moses-era planning controversies.

Controversies have centered on accusations of privileging developer interests, the influence of donor networks similar to those connected to Real Estate Board of New York and high-wealth contributors, and disputes in public hearings before bodies such as the New York City Planning Commission and the State Assembly Housing Committee. Legal challenges and public protests have drawn parallels to historic housing battles involving organizations like Tenants Political Action Committee and policy fights during mayoral administrations of Rudolph Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg.

Category:Organizations based in New York City