Governor Hochul: “I set an ambitious goal to have over 100,000 affordable housing units in five years. I'm really proud to announce that – with years to go – we're at 65,000, ahead of schedule so we're very excited about that. We launched a housing dashboard so people could track our progress and hold us accountable. So we're going to continue on our relentless mission to build more housing.”

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul announced a total of 350,000 housing units statewide have been built, preserved or are under construction since she took office in 2021. Governor Hochul made the announcement while touring a new affordable housing unit in Brooklyn's Gowanus neighborhood, where nearly 8,500 homes were saved by the Governor’s landmark housing deal in last year’s budget that included an extension of the 421-a completion deadline. Already more than 3,200 units in Gowanus are in construction or complete this year and in total, 71,000 homes citywide – of which 21,000 are affordable homes previously at risk – were rescued by this action.

B-ROLL of the Governor touring an affordable home unit and handing off apartment keys to Niya Newman is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

AUDIO: The Governor's remarks are available in audio form here.

PHOTOS: The Governor's Flickr page will post photos of the event here.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

Thank you for joining us here in Gowanus as I was able to welcome a brand new tenant here. Just wrapped up a tour of this beautiful place, part of the Wharf, and it's 585 Union Street. What we have here are – because of our efforts last year – over 200 plus units and 50 are affordable and nearly 5,000 affordable commercial space.

And what excites me so much about projects like these is it's breathing new life into buildings and neighborhoods here in Gowanus. I mean, this building itself had been a place where they manufactured caskets. So you think about breathing new life in here and bringing people in and families and just saw someone with a stroller a little while ago. It really makes you feel so hopeful that all neighborhoods have great potential and it was not going to happen but for us stepping in.

Well over a year ago in saying, “We have to have more ambition when it comes to building affordable housing and having units like these and projects like these,” which are under the old 421A program, which 30 percent of buildings are affordable and the rest are market rates.

So what you have are people ordinarily never able to afford a place like this with wonderful amenities. It's got a rooftop pool, it's got a yoga center, a place where they can work out. Talking to the new resident I invited in, who welcomed me to her home – Niya – she was just so proud to be able to have this beautiful new space for her and her son and welcome her little one-year-old granddaughter over.

So everywhere you walk, it's a reminder of why we need to take on special interest, take on NIMBYism and say this community is now revitalized. There's thousands of people living here and bringing – as I said – new life back to it. So this is the kind of progress we're talking about.

I set an ambitious goal to have over 100,000 affordable housing units in five years. I'm really proud to announce that – with years to go – we're at 65,000, ahead of schedule so we're very excited about that. And we launched a housing dashboard so people could track our progress and hold us accountable. So we're going to continue on our relentless mission to build more housing.

I'm proud to be joined here today by the Commissioner of Housing Community Renewal. RuthAnne Visnauskas, who's been the architect of much of this vision. I want to thank her for her leadership all across the state as well.