Former Governor Cuomo, who is competing for the position of New York City Mayor in 2026, visited the Bensonhurst Bensonhurst Elderly Center at the beginning of this month. During his visit, he explicitly expressed his opposition to the construction of a homeless shelter at 2501 86th Street. His campaign spokesperson further promised this week that if Cuomo is elected mayor, he will halt this controversial project.
This stance quickly gained support from local activists against the homeless. Protesters have already posted Cuomo’s campaign posters at the protest camp on 86th Street, showing that some residents who were originally politically conservative have shifted their support to Cuomo’s mayoral candidacy. Cuomo is expected to participate in the Democratic primary in June and will run for mayor again in November as an independent candidate.
The planned homeless shelter at 2501 86th Street was proposed by Mayor Adams’ administration in 2023, with plans to accommodate 150 beds and provide accommodation, mental health counseling, and drug rehabilitation services. If completed, it will become the first shelter in the Bensonhurst district. However, since the announcement of this plan, it has faced strong backlash, with opponents criticizing the location near schools and elderly centers as inappropriate. The protests have been ongoing for 302 days, becoming an unprecedented community movement uniting the Bensonhurst Chinese community.
Councilwoman Wenyi Zhuang has been a major opponent of this project. She recently publicly endorsed Cuomo, calling him the “only candidate who can stop this project” and emphasizing Cuomo’s ability to speak up for the city’s Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.
According to reports by the Daily News, Cuomo’s spokesperson, Rich Azzopardi, confirmed that if Cuomo is elected mayor, he does intend to terminate the project. Azzopardi also criticized the current city administration for “not listening to the community.” The Adams administration and the Homeless Services Agency have yet to respond to requests for comments on Cuomo’s criticisms and promises.
While Cuomo has taken a clear stance in Bensonhurst, during his visit to the Chinatown Chinese Community Center in Manhattan on May 7, he did not make specific commitments regarding local hot-button issues: the opening of Pell Street, opposition to community prisons, and the upcoming completion of the homeless shelter at 91 East Broadway. Cuomo stated that he is still learning about these issues and will make decisions based on further evaluations of the Mayor’s powers.
Community blogger Ling Fei analyzed that there is likely a political agreement between Cuomo and Councilwoman Wenyi Zhuang: Zhuang openly supports Cuomo, and in return, Cuomo promises to cancel the 86th Street homeless shelter project. He believes this is a reasonable political exchange that meets both parties’ needs.
Ling Fei emphasized that Councilwoman Zhuang strongly opposes the construction of a homeless shelter in her district (86th Street in Bensonhurst), which has been a core issue in her political work over the past two years. Therefore, she is bound to actively work to prevent the implementation of the plan.
He also pointed out that the homeless shelter on East Broadway in Manhattan is close to completion, while construction has not yet started on the 86th Street shelter. The political cost of withdrawing from this project in the future is relatively manageable. Additionally, the opposition on 86th Street is clear and concentrated, with community support firmly rallying around Councilwoman Zhuang, providing significant political support for Cuomo.
Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa also opposes the construction of a homeless shelter on 86th Street. He welcomed Cuomo’s stance and urged him to “go further,” clearly opposing the construction of new shelter facilities in all communities across the city: “We do not need more homeless shelters, and should not be a ‘City of Yes’.”
The so-called “City of Yes” refers to the citywide zoning plan advocated by the Adams administration and the City Council, aiming to build more housing in various communities to address the current housing crisis. Faced with a record high number of homeless people in New York City, Adams’ policy focuses on expanding shelters, distributing shelter facilities evenly, and promoting zoning reform.
In contrast, while Cuomo also supports increasing housing supply, his housing plan announced last month shows that he opposes most zoning changes. These changes would allow for the construction of taller buildings and more apartments in low-density communities outside Manhattan (such as Southern Brooklyn). He advocates for postponing the implementation of such changes, except for transit-oriented development and a few other exceptions, until the effects of existing adjustments are fully absorbed.
This position places him at odds with several mayoral candidates, including Adams, who advocate for accelerating housing supply citywide. Cuomo, on the other hand, proposes using tax breaks (such as the 485-x bill) to incentivize affordable housing construction and believes that when necessary, these incentive mechanisms should be further strengthened to achieve housing goals.
Ling Fei commented that the demand from leftist council members for 100% affordable housing in development projects has led to capital withdrawal, discouraging landlords and developers, resulting in a shortage of housing and a vicious policy cycle. He believes that Adams’ “Yes City” plan is merely “robbing Peter to pay Paul” and does not address the root issues of the housing and homelessness crisis. Without comprehensive legal reforms, pushing ahead with zoning changes will only intensify community conflicts.
He further suggested that to truly resolve the controversy surrounding homeless shelters, decision-making authority for constructing shelter facilities should be decentralized to community boards, rather than allowing related projects to bypass review processes and receive exemptions. He urged voters to demand that mayoral candidates commit to reforming the decision-making process regarding homeless shelters, granting residents substantial veto power.