Mihir Zaveri

Mayor Eric Adams’s administration is designating the garden as parkland, which could stymie Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in his vow to revive the fight to put affordable housing there.

The New York plan would open up 54 blocks of Long Island City, which are mostly warehouses and parking lots, to housing.

When Zohran Mamdani becomes mayor, he will immediately have to confront a host of issues that have little to do with “freezing the rent,” his main housing-related pledge.

During his campaign, Zohran Mamdani had repeatedly declined to say where he stood on the measures.

The results reflect how more people are embracing development as a solution to the housing crisis.

Voters will have a chance to weigh in on ballot questions concerning the housing crisis and when local elections should be held.

Before Zohran Mamdani became a state legislator, he helped South Asian New Yorkers who were in danger of losing their homes because of tax liens and job losses.

The plans, which seek to rezone parts of Jamaica and Long Island City, came up for votes as an election focused on the city’s housing crisis was nearing its end.

The city has been trying to build housing on the site of the Manhattan garden for at least a decade, but has met with fierce opposition in the community.

Mayor Eric Adams has only weeks left in office, but he can use them to appoint people with the ability to shape policy beyond his tenure.