The Land Use Charter Changes That Might Be on Your Ballot This Fall

The mayor s Charter Revision Commission drafted a series of proposals to streamline and speed up the population review process for new growth If approved they ll go before voters in the November general referendum Voters during last year s general voting A set of proposals to change the City Charter around land use rules could be on the ballot this November Photo by Adi Talwar In response to New York City s housing shortage and affordability situation Mayor Eric Adams appointed the Charter Revision Commission CRC in December a -member panel dedicated to proposing amendments to the city charter a document outlining the rules and regulations of city regime This year the CRC is prioritizing housing and land use procedures with its primary concern being the slow-moving city approval process for new developments The Commission aims to amendment the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure ULURP arguing in an interim analysis circulated last week that the current system hampers the city s ability to build affordable housing efficiently by delaying projects and raising costs of construction function d u ac var s d createElement 'script' s type 'text javascript' s src 'https a omappapi com app js api min js' s async true s dataset user u s dataset campaign ac d getElementsByTagName 'head' appendChild s document 'u kmqsczew vunxutxmd' The record broke down how the existing process is not only lengthy often taking more than six months but also expensive with applications for special permits ranging from for smaller projects to for larger developments To address this the CRC drafted a series of land-use proposals dedicated to streamlining the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure or ULURP as well as a separate measure to reschedule municipal elections to even-numbered years so they run concurrently with presidential elections The Commission is expected to vote on the measures later this month If approved the final proposals would be put before voters as ballot questions in this November s general ballot The Commission s interim assessment includes a strong set of proposals that meet the moment for New York City Together they can help build a more affordable city and a more responsive regime disclosed Richard Buery chair of the CRC But specific of the propositions are likely to draw dispute particularly those that could diminish the role of New York City Council members in land use decisions The Council has convened its own charter revision commission the NYC Commission to Strengthen Local Democracy and has criticized the mayor s as an effort to block theirs from getting proposals on the ballot In March the City Council passed a resolution asking Albany lawmakers to protect the current charter revision process taking issue with Mayor Adams Commission which they say was rushed It accused the mayor of weaponizing his authority by approving specific proposals without sufficient society input A mayor s authority to propose charter revisions should not include the power to block ballot access for other stakeholders in local democracy or be unfettered to evade transparency read the Council s press release accompanying the resolution This year s mayoral Commission which is distinct from last year s has held inhabitants hearings since January and is an independent Commission Buery stressed at one such hearing Monday night the last before the CRC votes on its proposals In making our recommendation to the city s voters we are bound only by our judgment and by our values We have really striven to pursue ideas regardless of who proposed them regardless of who supports them regardless of who opposes them he declared Below is a look at what the mayor s Commission has proposed when it comes to housing and land use The group s final meeting will take place July The masses can still submit written testimony on the plans until July An affordable housing growth under construction in East New York in City Limits Adi Talwar A speedier method for approving affordable housing The Board of Standards and Appeals BSA is the agency responsible for resolving disputes over zoning and land use issues It often reviews appeals and special permission requests from developers seeking to build in areas where zoning laws would typically restrict construction Building on the BSA s authority to grant zoning exceptions the CRC proposes a new zoning action that creates a fast-track review process for publicly financed affordable housing projects This new action only applies to developments funded by the Housing Growth Fund Corporation the legal bus offering loans to nonprofit organizations that develop low-income housing projects around the city Once an application is filed under The Fast Track Zoning Action the BSA would be required to put the request at the top of the list starting the -day review process instantly The board then must hold a hearing on the application within three months of the filing date cutting the ULURP process by half Additionally projects proposed within the district districts that produced the fewest affordable apartments over the last five years will receive a fast-tracked review procedure in order to promote the Fair Housing Framework targeting neighborhoods where local pushback has stalled or blocked new housing Expedited process for minor land use projects The Commission also proposes a new Expedited Land Use Review Procedure ELURP to provide faster approval for small-scale enhancement and infrastructure projects that the CRC says New Yorkers have been calling for such as raising street grades to prevent flooding or installing solar panels on populace land These modestly-sized buildings can be a key source of naturally affordable housing that is especially conducive to ownership opportunities commented Casey Berkovitz the CRC s director of external affairs who previously worked for the Department of City Planning For Berkovitz the length and cost of the ULURP process limits participation to large-scale projects as only they can absorb the time and expense required for review ELURP would reduce the review process for modestly-sized rezoning applications by four months As with ULURP the local neighborhood board and the borough president will be the first to review the application A decision must be made within days and afterwards the City Planning Commission has one month to hold a society hearing to either authorize or shut down the project Unlike ULURP ELURP requires the group board and the borough president to review each project concurrently to save time The proposed process also skips the City Council s three-month evaluation procedure the mayoral veto and ultimately the highly debated member-deference practice Members of the City Council at a stated meeting in December Emil Cohen NYC Council Media Unit The New Appeals Board As of now the City Council has de-facto veto power during the approval process through a practice called member deference in which lawmakers typically defer to the local councilmember when it comes to land use votes in their respective district Councilmembers say the custom holds them accountable to their constituents and ensures local control over neighborhoods But critics say it stifles advancement in certain parts of the city where leaders are opposed to new rise fueling inequities when it comes to affordable housing production Last year for example Brooklyn City Council District which spans East New York East Flatbush and Brownsville saw more than new affordable units while districts in Eastern Queens and Manhattan s west side saw zero according to an annual analysis by the New York Housing Conference The Commission proposes the creation of a New Appeals Board made up of the borough president City Council speaker and the mayor which would have the power to reverse the Council s decision on a land use application with a two-thirds majority vote The CRC revealed that elevating borough-and city-wide perspectives in the land use process would strike a better balance between local input and citywide requirements while also creating opportunities for progress in areas where member deference has halted housing maturation The idea faced backlash from a few councilmembers and local New Yorkers I am very much opposed to the limiting of City Council s role in decisions taken by the ULURP process one resident wrote in written testimony to the CRC The City Council is the people s voice and must not be limited especially in zoning questions which affect our neighborhoods and lives You can read the CRC s full record of proposals here This story was updated to reflect Casey Berkovitz s current job title and correct the spelling of his last name City Limits regrets the error To reach the reporter behind this story contact Marianad citylimits org To reach the editor contact Jeanmarie citylimits org Want to republish this story Find City Limits reprint program here The post The Land Use Charter Changes That Might Be on Your Ballot This Fall 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