“To truly lower the cost of living, the city must start using automated compliance checks to approve housing, retrofit, and energy projects in real-time.”

A home under construction on Staten Island. (Adi Talwar/City Limits)

On his first day in office, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the launch of the Streamlining Procedures to Expedite Equitable Development (SPEED), a task force to remove bureaucratic and permitting barriers that drive up costs and slow housing construction. Less than two weeks later, in her State of the State address, Gov. Kathy Hochul called for modernizing permitting systems across state agencies to help tackle the affordability crisis.

To truly lower the cost of living, the city must start using automated compliance checks to approve housing, retrofit, and energy projects in real-time—a move that would rapidly speed deployment and save New Yorkers money. 

The existing permitting process is broken. While many municipal departments allow permits to be submitted online, the actual review of those documents remains a painfully slow process with long wait times and unpredictable outcomes. Many permits are kicked back to the applicant to correct minor errors, often taking months to complete the entire process. For a homeowner trying to install a heat pump or solar panels, these delays act as a hidden tax, making essential clean energy upgrades more expensive and difficult than they should be. There is a better way! 

The future of construction and renovation lies in automated compliance and fast, if not instant, project approvals. New technology can perform this task on virtually any clean energy upgrade and residential retrofit with 100 percent accuracy. Unlike basic digital portals that just store and distribute files, automated compliance technologies verify that a project meets every rule as the application is being filled out and ensures that every submission is correct and complete the first time around, effectively acting as a project prescreening service. This shift allows for immediate verification, ensuring that project outcomes are predictable from day one.

Automating permitting technology is already delivering results in cities across California and Colorado. For example, the city of Bakersfield has adopted automated permitting for nine permit types, including solar panels, residential re-roofing, and water heaters, slashing the time required for plan review from several weeks to just a few seconds. And in Colorado, the administration has adopted a state-level permit submission platform, which allows instant permitting for projects in dozens of cities, providing builders and homeowners with real-time feedback that allows them to fix errors instantly rather than waiting weeks for a rejection letter. This standardized approach also removes the inconsistencies inherent in human interpretation, ensuring the law is applied consistently to every applicant.

The New York State Legislature is currently considering S5781, which would require automated permitting for residential solar projects in jurisdictions across the state. If enacted, this bill will help property owners save more than $2,000 on the cost of installing a new residential solar system and between $1,300-$2,300 on electricity bills each year. What’s more, automated permitting systems can be set up at no cost to local governments, making this a win-win policy decision. 

Passing this measure will be a vital step, and it is important that the law remains technology-agnostic to allow for constant improvement. By focusing on automated compliance rather than a specific software platform, the state can encourage a competitive market that delivers the best possible tools for New Yorkers.

New York City has the power to lead on this issue right now, even before state intervention. The Mamdani administration can integrate automated compliance into the city’s existing building systems today. Starting with high-volume and high-value projects like renewable energy retrofits would provide an immediate win for the climate and a blueprint for fixing the broader housing crisis. This is a practical, scalable way to make the city more affordable.

Ultimately, an affordability agenda is only as strong as the system that implements it. Moving to automated permitting is more than just a technical fix; it is a way to make the government work more effectively for the people it serves while ensuring our regulations help build a sustainable and affordable future rather than standing in the way. 

Patrick McClellan is the policy director at NY League of Conservation Voters. Leila Banijamali is CEO at Symbium.  

The post Opinion: Automated Permitting is Vital to the Mamdani’s Housing Agenda appeared first on City Limits.

MILAN, Italy  — Caroline Harvey and Joy Dunne each had a goal and two assists, Gwyneth Philips stopped 20 shots in her Olympic debut, and the United States defeated Switzerland 5-0 in the women’s hockey tournament on Monday.

Alex Carpenter, Hannah Bilka and Haley Winn also scored, and the Americans improved to 3-0 a day before the tournament favorites close their Group A preliminary round schedule against border rival Canada.

Captain Hilary Knight had two assists to increase her Olympic career point total to 31 — one short of matching the U.S. record set by Jenny Potter.

Canada faced Czechia later in the evening, a game in which the defending Olympic champion’s captain Marie-Philip Poulin did not return after limping off in the first period. It’s not clear if Poulin — nicknamed “Captain Clutch” for scoring three Olympic gold medal-clinching goals — will be available to play on Tuesday.

Philips’ shutout was shared by Ava McNaughton, who stopped one shot upon entering the game with under two minutes left. The U.S. has allowed just one goal in three outings and posted consecutive shutouts following Aerin Frankel’s 11-save outing in a 5-0 win over Finland on Saturday.

Switzerland dropped to 1-2 in being shut out for the second straight outing following a 4-0 loss to Canada on Saturday. Andrea Braendli was sharp in stopping 45 shots, including 35 of the first 37 she faced before the Americans scored three times on six shots over the first 7:42 of the third period.

Winn opened the scoring 6:04 in, by driving to the front of the net and redirecting in Harvey’s centering pass. Dunne score 5:52 into the second period by forcing a turnover behind the Swiss net and then banking in a shot off the skate of Switzerland defender Stefanie Wetli.

Philips made several big saves in the first period despite facing only six shots. She kicked out her left skate just in time to stop a shot from Ivana Wey in the opening minute. Some 12 1/2 minutes in, Philips got her glove up to foil Rahel Enzler, who was set up on the doorstep.

Host nation Italy secured a place in the quarterfinals for the first time by beating Japan 3-2.

Germany followed by claiming its spot in the next round with a 2-1 overtime win over France.

Both Italy and Germany improved to 2-1 and joined Sweden (3-0) in completing the three Group B nations to clinch a quarterfinal berth. Japan and France were eliminated from contention.

Italy advanced in just its second Olympic appearance, both as the host, after going 0-4 at the 2006 Turin Games and finishing last among the eight-team field.

“I think this is everybody’s dream coming true,” Italy’s Canada-born goalie Gabriella Durante said. “Hopefully this just grows hockey in Italia that much more for little girls all over the country.”

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By JOHN HANNA and ERIC GAY

EDINBURG, Texas (AP) — The first center for dispersing sterile screwworm flies from U.S. soil in decades opened Monday in Texas, part of a larger effort to keep the flesh-eating parasite they spawn from crossing the Mexican border and wreaking havoc on the American cattle industry.

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U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott unveiled the new facility on a former Air Force base near Edinburg, Texas. It will allow the U.S. to disperse millions of sterile male New World screwworm flies bred in Mexico or Panama on both sides of the border.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is building a new $750 million factory nearby for breeding sterile flies, but Rollins said construction on the fly factory won’t be done until the end of 2027. The USDA also is spending $21 million to convert a fruit fly breeding facility in far southern Mexico into one for breeding screwworm flies starting this summer.

The sterile male flies would mate with wild females, who mate only once in their weekslong adult lives. Their eggs, laid in open wounds or on mucous membranes, would then not hatch into the flesh-eating maggots that can infest livestock, wild mammals, household pets and even humans.

“It’s a real testament to the all hands on deck — federal state and local — the fact that we do not have the pest in our country yet,” Rollins said.

In November, the USDA opened a facility in Tampico in central Mexico for dispersing Panama-bred flies. However, it is about 330 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border.

“We knew we needed a short-term, gap-filling solution, which is exactly what we are cutting a ribbon on today,” Abbott said.

The Mexican cattle industry has been hit hard by New World screwworm fly larvae infestations, and the U.S. has closed the border since July to imports of cattle, bison and horses.

A similar program breeding sterile male flies had largely eradicated the pest from American soil by the early 1970s, except for a limited, short-lived outbreak in the Florida Keys in 2017 and its appearance recently when officials blocked a horse being imported from Argentina into Florida until the animal was fully treated, Rollins said.

The U.S. shut down its fly factories after eliminating the pest from its soil, and sterile males have been bred since in the Western Hemisphere only at a single facility in Panama, which can produce about 117 million a week. The new fly factory in Texas would be designed to produce 300 million a week.

The USDA also announced last month that it is offering up to $100 million in grants for projects designed to improve fly breeding, create new fly traps and lures, and produce treatments for infestations.

Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas.

City Limits rounds up the latest housing and land use-related events, public hearings and affordable housing lotteries that are ending soon.

Ice on the East River temperatures continue to remain stubbornly low in the City on Friday, January 30, 2026. (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

Welcome to City Limits’ NYC Housing Calendar, a weekly feature where we round up the latest housing and land use-related events and hearings, as well as affordable housing lotteries that are ending soon.

Know of an event we should include in next week’s calendar? Email us.

Upcoming housing and land use-related events:

Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 9:30 a.m.: The Landmarks Preservation Commission will meet. More here.

Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 10 a.m.: The NYC Council’s General Welfare and Public Safety committees will hold an oversight hearing on the city’s handling of the recent extreme cold, and its Code Blue procedures around homeless outreach. More here.

Tuesday, Feb. 10, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: State Sen. Roxanne Persaud’s office will host a free, in-person workshop in Canarsie, Brooklyn, for homeowners how to lower their property taxes, apply for or renew exemptions, understand their Notice of Property Value (NOPV), and get other questions answered by the NYC Department of Finance. More here.

Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 10 a.m: The State Senate’s Social Services committee will meet regarding several bills, including one that would remove the requirement that New York City must recoup emergency rental assistance for covering rent arrears. More here.

Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 10:30 a.m: The State Senate’s Housing, Construction and Community Development committee will meet regarding several housing-related bills, including those that would create new homeownership and senior affordable housing programs. More here.

Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 11 a.m.: The NYC Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises will meet about the following land use applications: Avenue U Rezoning, 63-12 Broadway Rezoning, 78-08 Linden Boulevard, 247-56 90th Ave Rezoning, and a sidewalk cafe application for Ethyl’s Alcohol & Food. More here.

Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 6:30 p.m.: Museum of the City of New York will host a panel discussion, “Housing on the Brink: The NYC Affordability Crisis.” General admission is $35. More here.

Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 11 a.m.: The NYC Council’s Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Sitings, Resiliency and Dispositions will meet regarding the Seaside Park & Community Arts Center Special Permit and the Ditmas Park West and Beverley Square West Historic Districts. More here.

Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 11:30 a.m.: The NYC Council’s Committee on Land Use will meet about the following land use applications: Avenue U Rezoning, 63-12 Broadway Rezoning, 78-08 Linden Boulevard, 247-56 90th Ave Rezoning, a sidewalk cafe application for Ethyl’s Alcohol & Food, Beverley Square West Historic District, Seaside Park & Community Arts Center Special Permit and Ditmas Park West Historic District. More here.

Thursday, Feb. 12 at 6 p.m.: The NYC Commission on Human Rights will host an online workshop for tenants, landlords, and realtors about discrimination and harassment in rental housing. More here.

NYC Affordable Housing Lotteries: The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) are closing lotteries on the following subsidized buildings over the next week.

449 Humboldt Street Apartments, Brooklyn, for households earning between $41,109 – $87,480 (last day to apply is 2/11)

2216 Aqueduct Avenue Apartments, Bronx, for households earning between $75,429 – $140,000 (last day to apply is 2/12)

Bedford Beverly Phase 1, Brooklyn, for households earning between $98,263 – $227,500 (last day to apply is 2/12)

The Garrison, Brooklyn, for households earning between $125,623 – $189,540 (last day to apply is 2/16)

815 Kings Highway Apartments, Brooklyn, for households earning between $143,898 – $227,500 (last day to apply is 2/16)

IMPACCT Myrtle Residences, Brooklyn, for households earning between $31,715 – $140,000 (last day to apply is 2/16)

406 Remsen Avenue Apartments, for households earning between $73,338 – $227,500 (last day to apply is 2/16)

Mitchell-Lama Evergreen Gardens (Two Bedroom), Bronx, for households earning between  $50,720 – $202,500 (last day to apply is 2/16)

Mitchell-Lama Evergreen Gardens (Studio/One Bedroom), Bronx, for households earning between $30,094 – $182,250 (last day to apply is 2/16)

The post NYC Housing Calendar, Feb. 9-16 appeared first on City Limits.