City Hall and City Council come to blows over affordable housing ballot proposals | amNewYork

"There are a total of six proposals on the ballot on Nov. 4, five of which were endorsed by Mayor Eric Adams and drafted by his appointees on the Charter Review Commission (CRC). Among those five CRC-crafted proposals, three have proved particularly controversial, igniting a long-standing feud between City Council and City Hall over the future of the city's housing review procedure."

"New York City faces a housing crisis, characterized by a historically low vacancy rate of 1.6%, with no clear mechanism in place to create more affordable housing. Ballot Proposals 2-4 which aim to fast-track affordable housing, more simply review modest housing projects, and establish an appeals board that could override the City Council on housing issues are questions designed to take the politics out of affordable housing, according to a CRC spokesperson."

"Each of the questions impacts the arcane Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), which critics have said is time-consuming and mired in red tape. Currently, community boards and borough presidents take 60 days and 30 days, respectively to issue advisory opinions before a binding decision from the 13-member City Planning Commission (CPC) can occur, followed by an additional binding decision from the City Council, which has up to 65 days to approve or make modifications to a proposal as part of ULURP."

Voters will decide six ballot proposals on Nov. 4 that could change how New York City approves housing developments. Five proposals were endorsed by Mayor Eric Adams and drafted by Charter Review Commission appointees; three have sparked a feud between City Council and City Hall. New York City faces a housing crisis with a 1.6% vacancy rate and no clear mechanism to create more affordable units. Ballot Questions 2–4 aim to fast-track affordable housing, simplify reviews of modest projects, and create an appeals board that could override City Council decisions. The measures would alter ULURP, which can take up to nine months.

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