New Yorkers will have a chance this November to weigh in on five ballot proposals that could significantly alter how the city tackles its affordable housing crisis and conducts elections.
The Charter Revision Commission, which was created by Mayor Eric Adams last December to modernize the city’s approach to housing, voted Monday to advance four land-use amendments and a fifth measure to shift municipal elections to even-numbered years. All five proposals will go before voters in the general election.
“There’s lots of pieces to this puzzle,” said Commission Chair Richard Buery, “but we feel really good about the polls we’ve made and really looking at ways the charter can particularly help us build housing we need faster.”
Housing Development Under Review
The first two proposals are designed to streamline the approval process for new housing projects and reduce the power of individual councilmembers to block developments in their districts, a practice known as “member deference.” These measures would target neighborhoods that have historically contributed the least to affordable housing production.
“This will be a way to build affordable housing in parts of the city that today produce next to nothing,” said Alec Schierenbeck, the commission’s executive director.
One amendment would put the 12 least-productive districts on a “fast track” for project review. Another would establish a new appeals process, replacing the current mayoral veto with a three-member board composed of the mayor, City Council speaker, and the relevant borough president.
A fourth proposal would require the creation of a citywide land-use map to make planning more efficient.
Election Change Proposal
The fifth measure aims to increase voter turnout by aligning city elections with federal contests, which typically draw more voters. While the housing measures need only citywide approval, this proposal would require an amendment to the state constitution as well.
Pushback over community voice
Some local officials and community advocates expressed concern that the land-use proposals would limit neighborhood input.
“Community boards play a vital role in informing local land use plans, providing a democratic and direct voice for local communities,” said Johana Pulgarin, district manager of Brooklyn’s Community Board 1. “Eliminating or reducing this role could result in the consolidation of planning power with a handful of people.”
Buery countered that the proposals preserve local engagement while speeding up slow and outdated processes. “The goal of the city, fundamentally, is to inform people about what the proposals are, as opposed to advocate for them,” he said, though he added that “as a citizen of New York, I’m really committed to making sure that you can understand these proposals and ultimately support them.”
What’s next
The city will partner with civil society and civic education groups in the lead-up to the election to help explain the ballot measures to voters. One previously considered proposal, which would have introduced open primaries, was dropped following pushback from both progressive and conservative groups.
“It’s been an amazing process to hear from so many New Yorkers all over the city speak with passion, with clarity about the thing that mattered to them,” Buery said. “I’m proud of all the New Yorkers who took time out of their busy lives and schedules to come out to a random meeting room wherever we were and talk about their vision for making New York City better.”
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