NEW YORK, NY August 25, 2005 —City council speaker Gifford Miller says if he's elected mayor he will invest $7.2 billion to create 169-thousand units of housing. WNYC's Cindy Rodriguez reports.

REPORTER: Miller is the third candidate for mayor to come out with a housing plan. He and opponent Fernando Ferrer are proposing to create about the same number of units. But Miller says there are distinctions, such as his approach to dealing with the high cost of rents.

MILLER: My plan is the only plan that addresses that particular crisis by providing a tax credit of up to a thousand dollars for anyone making less than 100-thousand dollars.

REPORTER: Miller wants the state to fund the plan which would require the legislature's approval.

The candidate also differs from his opponents by favoring voluntary inclusionary zoning. Like Mayor Bloomberg, he says forcing property owners to build affordable housing could stifle development.

For WNYC: I'm Cindy Rodriguez