As part of the recent contract between the city and its largest union, DC 37, the Bloomberg administration agreed to revise a rule from 1986 that mandated employees working for the city also live here. Now, if the City Council agrees, DC 37 members – 120,000 in all – will be able to move to the surrounding suburbs.
The Sun’s editorial page likes this part of the agreement, and predicts that the decrease in demand will result in lower housing prices. In an article in the same paper, Nicole Gelinas, fellow at the Manhattan Institute, subscribed to the same theory.
El Diario says the agreement is an acknowledgment by Bloomberg that “the cost of living here is out of control, and renting or owning a decent home is less of a reality every day for many people. It underscores the need for more affordable housing in the city, despite the administration`s gains in this area.”

Mayor Announces Agreement [City Hall]
Fact Sheet on Residency Requirements [DC 37]