Midtown South Mixed Use Plan: A Step Forward for Affordable Housing

In October 2025, the City Council approved the Midtown South Mixed Use Plan, which is a really big deal for Manhattan. The plan will add around 9,500 new homes across 42 blocks, including over 2,800 affordable units. It’s not just about apartments, though. The city is also putting hundreds of millions of dollars into improving the area, like fixing subway stations, making streets safer, funding schools, and even building a car-free busway on 34th Street. They’re also investing in the Garment District to help keep the fashion and manufacturing jobs that give this part of the city its character. At the Urban Builders Coalition, we see this as huge progress toward the goal of creating more affordable housing in New York City.

Walking through Midtown South now, you can already see how different it is from other parts of Manhattan. There are old warehouses and office buildings that look like they could be turned into apartments, and streets that feel crowded but also full of potential. You can imagine new neighborhoods popping up, with shops, parks, and people living right where they work instead of commuting for hours every day. It feels like the city is trying to create a space where people can actually live, not just work or shop.

Of course, there are still questions. Some of the “affordable” apartments might not be affordable enough for the people who need them the most, and there’s a worry that long-term residents could get pushed out as everything changes. Streets are busy already, and adding thousands of new homes could make it even more crowded. But walking through the area, it’s exciting to think about how this plan could change Midtown South for the better, giving more people a chance to live in Manhattan and helping make the city feel like a place where everyone can belong.