Quantcast

De Blasio shifts focus to affordable housing

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio marches in the Greek Independence Day Parade on 5th Avenue in Manhattan, Sunday, March 30, 2014.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio marches in the Greek Independence Day Parade on 5th Avenue in Manhattan, Sunday, March 30, 2014. Photo Credit: Johan Persson

Mayor Bill de Blasio yesterday looked to his next priorities — affordable housing, Superstorm Sandy relief and community policing — as he thanked faith-based groups for advancing his prekindergarten fight.

“We respect the real estate industry, but we need more from the real estate industry for the people of this city,” he said in Brooklyn.

He said efforts to secure more affordable housing units at the Domino sugar refinery site and Hudson Yards were “changing the dynamic in favor of the people.”

In a state budget agreement, the city got $300 million toward universal pre-K, though not the income tax hike that de Blasio had made the cornerstone of his campaign. The budget also will include protections for the taxpayer-funded, privately run charters that de Blasio has criticized.