The New York City Charter Revision Commission on Monday approved five ballot proposals that will go before voters this November. The measures are designed to address the city’s housing shortage and improve election participation by aligning local elections with national voting cycles.
Four of the proposals focus on housing, aiming to reduce delays in approving affordable developments and infrastructure. The fifth would shift city elections to even-numbered years, when more voters typically turn out.
The proposals were developed through a comprehensive review of the City Charter, public input from more than 800 attendees across 10 hearings, over 3,000 written comments and research.
Overview of the Five Ballot Questions
1. Fast Track Affordable Housing
This measure would introduce new approval pathways to accelerate affordable housing. It would authorize zoning relief for publicly funded projects through the Board of Standards and Appeals and streamline public review for developments in community districts that have added the least affordable housing.
2. Simplify Land Use Reviews for Modest Projects
This proposal would create a new review process, known as the Expedited Land Use Review Procedure (ELURP), for small-scale land use changes. These include limited zoning adjustments, land transfers for affordable housing, and time-sensitive climate resilience projects.
3. Create an Affordable Housing Appeals Board
A new board would be established to reconsider rejected affordable housing projects. Comprised of the relevant Borough President, the City Council Speaker, and the Mayor, the board could overturn Council decisions if two of the three officials agree. This authority would apply only to projects proposing affordable housing.
4. Modernize the City Map
This measure would replace the city’s fragmented and outdated paper-based map system with a unified digital version. The current City Map includes over 8,000 paper maps across all five boroughs and plays a vital role in approving housing and infrastructure projects.
5. Align Local Elections with Presidential Cycles
This proposal would move New York City's elections to even-numbered years to coincide with federal elections, aiming to boost turnout and reduce costs. The change would require an amendment to the New York State Constitution before implementation.
The first four proposals strips the City Council of some of their powers.
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala, Majority Leader Amanda Farías, Majority Whip Selvena N. Brooks-Powers, and Council Members Justin Brannan, Keith Powers, Carlina Rivera, Rafael Salamanca Jr., and Sandra Ung noted their disapproval.
“Since 2022, the Council has approved over 120,000 units of housing and secured more than $8 billion of additional investments to make housing more affordable and better support neighborhoods," the council members said in a joint statment. "This progress for our city would not have been possible without the Council’s role in the land use process. Mayor Eric Adams’ Charter Revision Commission conveniently ignored these facts to advance a self-serving narrative in support of expanded mayoral power, even as his administration hypocritically overturned housing at the Elizabeth Street garden that was approved years ago by the Council. This commission’s misguided proposals would undermine the ability to deliver more affordable housing, homeownership opportunities, good-paying union jobs and neighborhood investments for New Yorkers across the five boroughs.”
