NYC Mayoral Election Ballot Will Include 3 Key Questions on Housing Policy

New York City voters will have the chance to weigh in on three key ballot measures related to housing when they cast a vote in the mayoral election next month.

Front-runner Zohran Mamdani, a state assemblyman and the Democratic nominee, has made housing affordability a central issue in his campaign, vowing to freeze the rent on all rent-stabilized units and fast-track more affordable housing developments.

On Thursday night, Mamdani will face his opponents in the race—fellow Democrat Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa—in the first mayoral debate, where housing issues are expected to be a topic of discussion.

Meanwhile, voters in the Nov. 4 election will decide the fate of three ballot questions on measures intended to speed the approval of new housing construction in New York.

Two of the measures would create an expedited approval process for smaller-scale projects and affordable housing developments, respectively, while a third would create an appeals panel to green-light projects rejected by the City Council.

"All three measures are steps in the right direction," says Realtor.com® senior economist Jake Krimmel. "As a New Yorker, and also as someone who closely studies the housing market and tracks affordability issues, I hope that all three do pass."

However, the three measures face nearly universal opposition from members of the City Council, who stand to lose their powerful veto ability over certain building projects if the measures pass.

Here are the housing-related ballot measures New Yorkers will vote on next month:

Fast-track affordable housing to build more affordable housing across the city

This proposal would make two new processes to fast-track certain affordable housing projects: one for publicly financed affordable housing developments, and one for affordable housing developments in areas with the lowest rates of affordable development.

Both new processes would be alternatives to the standard Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), a seven-month review process, and are designed to cut approval time down to a matter of one or two months.

Qualifying projects would be eligible for final approval based on the decision of the City Planning Commission, rather than requiring City Council approval.

Opponents of the measure say it would weaken public oversight in housing decisions by taking the City Council out of the process and reducing opportunities for community input.

Supporters argue that it would reduce the number of veto holders for new affordable developments, and encourage more construction by reducing lengthy wait times faced by developers.

"Not only do projects get killed because they have so many veto points, but they also get killed because of the time it takes to wait these things out," says Krimmel.

A “yes” vote on this measure makes two processes to fast-track affordable housing projects.

Simplify review of modest housing and infrastructure projects

Similarly, this measure would simplify the review process for "modest" new housing construction and minor infrastructure projects.

For example, a project to build a duplex on a lot previously zoned for single-family might be eligible for the expedited review process, which cuts the typical seven-month ULURP review down to a three-month timeline, and skips City Council approval.

Opponents of the measure fear that developers will abuse the new process for larger projects, with Council Member Robert Holden warning: “Modest can become a loophole.”

But supporters note the new rule applies only to projects under 45 feet in height in low-density areas, matching the height of most existing single-family homes.

Supporters argue that the complexity of New York's ULURP process makes it impractical to pursue small developments like new duplexes, favoring only large developers with deep pockets and political connections.

For example, they note that over the past 10 years, every rezoning application for housing in New York requested an increase of more than 30%, with most asking to double or triple the size of a building.

A “yes” vote on this measure creates a faster process for smaller zoning changes and other land use actions. It also removes the City Council’s review for most projects.

Establish an Affordable Housing Appeals Board with council, borough, and citywide representation

This measure would establish an Affordable Housing Appeals Board consisting of the Council Speaker, the local borough president, and the mayor.

The appeals board would be able to review any City Council actions that reject or change applications creating affordable housing.

"This is adding another point on the decision tree, but it's a way to overturn the veto," explains Krimmel. "It's putting a thumb on the scale toward approval instead of denial, because the status quo is very much tilted toward denial."

Opponents of the measure fear it would strip community members of their power to influence development decisions in their neighborhoods, by granting centralized power to citywide leaders.

“New York needs housing built with trust, transparency, and strong conflict of interest rules, not another venue to rubber-stamp bad projects,” said Holden.

Supporters of the measure say that the current system gives council members too much power to block new residential construction, even in the face of widespread support and clear benefits to the city.

A “yes” vote on this measure creates the Affordable Housing Appeals Board, which would be able to reverse City Council decisions on affordable housing projects with a 2-to-1 vote.