The ad warns: “Your neighborhood essentials are at stake.”
The mailer, paid for by the City Council, states that three of the questions that will appear on the November ballot will take away communities’ power to “demand the city and developers invest” in neighborhoods “when allowed to build.”
City Council leadership has painted most of the housing ballot questions as a power grab by the administration, arguing that the measures threaten to deprive City Council members the leverage they need during zoning negotiations to guarantee deeper affordability, as well as investments in their communities.
The City Council has declined to reveal how much it has spent or plans to spend on its campaign against the measures. The Council’s budget for postage and printing supplies was increased by roughly $2.3 million earlier this year, though that was before the mayor’s Charter Revision Commission even released its preliminary report outlining potential changes to the city’s land use review process.
Meanwhile, a coalition supporting the measures, Yes on Affordable Housing, has committed to spending $3 million to promote the housing proposals.
The questions at issue, if approved, would:
— Create two different “fast track” options for affordable housing projects. Housing Development Fund Companies building publicly-funded, 100 percent affordable housing could receive approvals for zoning changes through the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals rather than going through the full Uniform Land Use Review Procedure.
The other track would apply to affordable housing projects proposed in the 12 community districts that have approved the least amount of affordable housing. Starting in October 2026, the city would release a report identifying what districts have permitted the least amount of affordable housing in the previous five years. Such projects will go through a condensed Ulurp: Community Boards will have the same amount of time to review these proposals (60 days), but the applicable borough president will review the proposal at the same time, rather than for 30 days after the community board’s review. The City Planning Commission, which will then have 30 days to review instead of 60, will have the final vote on these proposals, rather than the City Council.
— Create a new land use review process for “modest” housing and infrastructure projects. This new review process, dubbed Expedited Land Use Review Procedure or Elurp, would apply to housing projects in medium- or high-density districts that increase residential capacity by no more than 30 percent or to housing projects in low-density districts that are no taller than 45 feet and have a maximum floor area ratio of two. Proposals to put solar panels on public buildings or other land would also qualify. The City Council could also approve additional project categories, though I wouldn’t bank on that.
Elurp would follow the same timeline outlined in the previous question, but depending on the project type, either the City Planning Commission or the City Council’s review is skipped. (Some projects require review by the City Council under state law.)
— Replace the mayoral veto with an appeals board. As it stands, Ulurp ends with the mayor, who usually goes along with whatever action the City Council takes (with a few exceptions). This proposal would replace the mayor’s power to veto land use decisions with a three-person appeals board, consisting of the mayor, City Council speaker and the applicable borough president. The appeals board could reverse City Council’s rejection of projects that would create affordable housing. Such projects can only affect one borough. The appeals board can also restore such project proposals to the version approved by the City Planning Commission, undoing modifications approved by the City Council.
As City Council leaders wage a public campaign against the ballot measures, which has drawn allegations of electioneering that the Council have denied, Conservatives in the Council are trying to challenge the measures in court. Last week, a state Supreme Court judge threw out a lawsuit brought by the Council’s Common Sense Caucus seeking to annul the ballot measures. The group, along with other plaintiffs, have appealed the decision.
What we’re thinking about: If the ballot measures are not approved, what will this mean for the next administration’s housing goals? What steps would the next mayor need to take, absent these changes? Send a note to kathryn@therealdeal.com.
A thing we’ve learned: The late Diane Keaton was an avid house flipper, having rented, bought, renovated or designed nearly 50 homes, according to the New York Times.
Elsewhere in New York…
— City Council member Keith Powers plans to run for Assembly member Harvey Epstein’s seat, City & State reports. Epstein, who represents the East Side of Manhattan, is expected to be elected to the City Council, taking over Carlina Rivera’s former seat.
— Gov. Kathy Hochul is considering whether to sign or veto a measure that would permit physician-assisted death for patients with an incurable diagnosis and less than six months to live, Gothamist reports. If she signs the bill, New York would become the 12th state to authorize physician-assisted death.
— Billionaire John Catsimatidis thinks Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa should drop out of the mayoral race, the New York Post reports. “Curtis would make the best mayor of all the candidates … but Curtis has to realize that he should love New York more than anything else,” Catsimatidis said on WABC radio Monday. “It certainly looks like Curtis should pull out right now.”
Closing Time
Residential: The top residential deal recorded Monday was $14.6 million for 83 Jane Street. The West Village townhouse is 6,000 square feet. Compass’ The Hudson Advisory Team has the listing.
Commercial: The top commercial deal recorded was $22 million for a commercial condo unit at 1035 Third Avenue. The Upper East Side building has over 245,000 square feet of floor area and is a mixed-use building.
New to the Market: The highest price for a residential property hitting the market was $14.2 million for a penthouse unit at 240 Park Avenue South. The Flatiron condo is 3,900 square feet. Douglas Elliman’s Michael Graves has the listing.
Breaking Ground: The largest new building permit filed was for a proposed 65,392-square-foot, nine-story, mixed-use building at 2054 Walton Avenue in the Bronx. Nikolai Katz is the applicant of record.
— Joseph Jungermann
