Housing Advocates Target City Council's Development Power

"Now, the commission to revise the city charter empaneled by Mayor Eric Adams is giving voters in November a chance to weaken member deference by boosting the role of borough presidents and allowing certain smaller projects to sidestep Council approval. The Council has launched an effort to convince voters to reject the changes, but they are up against a tough climate, with polls showing that voters rank the city's housing crisis among their top concerns."

"And even if passed, it's not entirely clear that the reforms will increase supply enough to make a dent in a lack of housing that has pushed the city's rental apartment vacancy rate below 2 percent. "The depth of our affordable housing crisis in New York is such that we need every tool in the toolbox and need to be tackling this problem for decades to come," said Annemarie Gray, executive director of the pro-housing group Open New York. The organization has created a PAC called Yes on Affordable Housing that is expected to spend $3 million to support the proposals."

Developers often screen projects by whether the local City Council member will support them because member deference gives each member effective veto power over zoning decisions, which costs the city thousands of potential new homes annually. A charter revision commission empaneled by Mayor Eric Adams would weaken member deference, boost borough presidents' influence, and allow certain smaller projects to sidestep full City Council ULURP approval. The City Council opposes the changes even as polls show housing ranks high among voter concerns. Supporters say the reforms add tools to address an acute affordable housing shortage, while impacts on supply remain uncertain.

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