Editor’s note: The original version of this story incorrectly conflated the Adams administration’s strategic climate plan with proposed new language for industrial business zones. It has been corrected throughout to more accurately reflect the City Council’s priorities for these areas.

Members of the New York City Council say they’re concerned that thousands of New Yorkers who work in factories and other parts of the industrial sector will lose their jobs if the Adams administration makes zoning amendments for industrial areas without considering any potential job losses.

Councilmembers are planning to introduce legislation later this week that will include developing a citywide action plan for helping these factory workers — many of whom are immigrants or people of color, according to lawmakers — transition into new jobs within the city’s growing “green economy” and maintain parts of the city specifically designated for manufacturing, known as Industrial Business Zones (IBZs). Examples for new sectors suggested by the Council include assembly and storage for offshore wind and solar power businesses and battery storage for clean energy.

“These are careers where there’s a high level of skill and expertise and craft that are put into producing all sorts of things that have built this city,” said Councilmember Sandy Nurse, who represents Cypress Hills, Bushwick and other parts of East New York. “And so when someone says something like the industrial manufacturing sectors are obsolete, or will be obsolete, it’s a lack of vision. It’s a lack of planning.”

The bills come as Adams considers a series of zoning amendments for the city’s 21 IBZ’s, which Council members want to make sure will optimize manufacturing jobs and infrastructure. The city estimates that there will be 230,000 new jobs available by 2030.

Adams has introduced an initiative dubbed “Zoning for Economic Opportunity” that calls for amending zoning language in parts of the city so that businesses will be able to set up shop in places they weren’t previously allowed to.

But some lawmakers claim these changes could threaten the stability of the city’s industrial workforce if manufacturing sites are put to other uses or if improvements aren’t made to foster industrial uses. Councilmembers say they want the administration to avoid the proliferation of office space, bars, restaurants and retail in these areas, saying they create fewer jobs and pay lower wages than manufacturing. They also want to limit regulations that prioritize parking and loading requirements while providing more transit and sanitation options in industrial areas to avoid neglect.

Local lawmakers are still trying to boost the city’s faltering economy in the aftermath of destruction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Half of New York City households aren’t making enough money to meet their basic needs, a 36% increase from 2021, according to a report by the United Way of New York City and the Fund for the City of New York.

The mayor’s office said nearly 250,000 new jobs were created in the city since Adams took office — and that there’s been a 99.7% recovery of pre-pandemic private sector jobs. A spokesperson said the mayor was focused on protecting working families and his office would review the legislation when it's introduced.

“Yes, industrial manufacturing is not what it was 30 years ago,” Councilmember Alexa Aviles, who represents Red Hook and Sunset Park, said. “We understand that, and that is an old relic argument. We are here to say that we want to protect – we must, as a city – protect these zones.”