Four measures on the ballot this Election Day would change how New York City permits new affordable housing. City Limits will be tracking the results as votes roll in Tuesday night.
A voter in The Bronx submits his ballot during the June primary. (Adi Talwar/City Limits)
This is a developing story and will be updated Tuesday as voting results roll in. Check back soon.
At the polls this Election Day, New Yorkers are weighing four ballot measures that would change how the city permits new affordable housing. The proposals have drawn significant attention from candidates, officials, advocates, and voters, who are split on how they will affect development.
Some say the changes will help speed up construction of new homes and ease the city’s housing shortage. They point to areas of the city that have produced the least housing, often because local councilmembers are opposed.
Others, like the City Council members themselves, say it’s a power grab that would erode the Council’s authority over land use issues, giving more power to the mayor.
They argue that City Council review helps legislators secure important benefits for their districts in development deals, like more affordable housing. Opponents also say some “affordable” housing, which is restricted by household income, is not actually accessible to the lowest income New Yorkers.
“These misleading ballot proposals permanently change the City’s constitution to weaken democracy, lasting beyond the next mayor when we inevitably have a mayor who is bad on housing, equity, and justice for communities,” City Council Speaker Benjamin Fang-Estrada said in a statement Tuesday. “This would leave our city without the checks and balances of democracy to protect New Yorkers and ensure outcomes that prioritize them, not simply profits.”
Tuesday morning, Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani said that he voted for the housing-related ballot measures, after his opponents criticized him for not taking a position in the second mayoral debate.
“We urgently need more housing to be built across the five boroughs, and we also need to ensure that housing is high quality,” he told City & State Tuesday.
“I also understand that there are councilmembers in opposition to these measures, and their opposition is driven by commitment to their communities and a deep concern about investment in those communities and I share the commitment to that investment,” he added. “I look forward to working with them and delivering.”
His opponents in the race for mayor are split. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo—running on an Independent line—supports them, and Republican Curtis Sliwa does not.
Here’s what the proposals would do:
Proposal 2 would take decision-making power from the City Council and give it to city boards mostly appointed by the mayor, shortening the review timeline for 100 percent affordable housing projects, as well as projects with at least 25 percent affordable housing in the 12 community districts that have built the least affordable housing in recent years.
Proposal 3 would create expedited review for residential developments that add no more than 30 percent more housing than current zoning rules allow. It moves approval power for those projects from the City Council to the City Planning Commission.
Proposal 4 creates an appeals board of the mayor, borough president, and City Council speaker that could vote to overrule Council decisions that reject or reduce affordable housing in development proposals.
Proposal 5 replaces paper maps in borough president’s offices with a consolidated digital city map.
Some polls before the election suggested support for the measures. A poll commissioned by the Partnership for New York City found at least two in three New Yorkers supported each of ballot Proposals 2 through 4. And a poll from the Yes for Affordable Housing campaign (a PAC supporting the measures) and Zenith Research found similar levels of support, with the strongest support among Mamdani voters.
A study from the New York Housing Conference released last week found that the bottom 10 Council districts produced fewer than 300 units of new affordable housing over the past 11 and a half years. The top 10 of the 59 Council districts, meanwhile, produced over half of the city’s new affordable housing.
Supporters say it points to how some councilmembers use their local veto power (a practice known as “member deference”) to block new development, further fueling the city’s overall housing crisis.
“We are deeply proud and honored to equip City government—and our communities—with the necessary and long-overdue tools we need to deliver on New York’s solemn promise of opportunity for all,” said Amit Singh Bagga, campaign director for YES on Affordable Housing, who is optimistic the measures will pass, particularly with Mamdani’s support.
Housing was a top issue for voters that City Limits spoke with at the polls.
Lydia and Adrian G, two early voters in Crown Heights, told City Limits they voted for the measures. “I heard reasonable people who want more affordable housing say, vote for them,” said Lydia.
The process to build housing is hard to understand, and voters like Ryan Walden, who also voted in Crown Heights, said, “it’s hard to know how those will work out in practice. I do think it’s important to make it easier to build more housing… but I’m hopeful that sort of streamlines things.”
The City Council and supporters of the amendments have both been waging public campaigns over the measures.
Mailers offer competing views on the housing-related ballot
proposals. (Jeanmarie Evelly/City Limits)
The Council controversially used public funds to distribute mailers that called the ballot proposals “misleading” and tied them to the unpopular Mayor Eric Adams. Adams, who is not running for re-election, convened the Charter Commission that came up with the measures, but the Commission says it is independent.
Those messages didn’t always get through to voters.
“Because some of those [proposals] I hadn’t even known were going to be on there, so I just went with my guts rather than research-based,” said Aboubacar Barry, 25, of Morrisania.
Ben, a 45 year old Morrisania resident who works cleaning subway trains, said that he voted no.
“They’re trying to lead you to vote yes for everything. Luckily, I know a bit about what they’re asking so I’m not coerced to just always say yes, yes, yes,” said Ben, who voted for Republican Curtis Sliwa.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Additional reporting by Keke Grant-Floyd. To reach the reporter behind this story, contact Patrick@citylimits.org. To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org
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