NEW YORK, New York — On Sept. 17, the New York City Charter Revision Commission (CRC) convened virtually to deliberate on a slate of proposed amendments aimed at reshaping how the city approaches housing, land use, mapping, and elections. As the city grapples with what officials are calling the “worst housing crisis in decades,” the roundtable focused on accelerating affordable housing, simplifying land-use processes, and rethinking how decision-making power can be distributed among all New Yorkers.
Hosted by JD Michaels, executive director of the Mayor’s Office, and chaired by Richard R. Buery alongside executive director Alec Schierenbeck, the virtual session that featured a comprehensive overview and Q&A with civic leaders, housing experts, and former city planning officials.
Members also noted that while many issues, such as rent stabilization and property taxes, lie outside the Charter’s authority, changes to the city’s governing document could streamline approval processes and reduce bottlenecks.
Streamlining affordable housing
“Over 50% of renters are rent burdened, meaning they spend over 30% of income on rent,” the presentation noted. Another statistic cited that 106,875 homeless New Yorkers, including 36,485 children, slept in the shelter system each night in 2025, underscoring the urgency for accessible and affordable housing. “The facts are startling,” noted Schierenbeck, “An average family of three would have to spend almost half of their income on rent just to afford an average two-bedroom home.”
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The central debate centered on Ballot Question 2, which would create expedited pathways for publicly financed affordable housing projects. Currently, most rezonings must undergo the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), a seven-month process involving multiple layers of review. Critics argue ULURP is ill-suited for time-sensitive affordable housing developments.
The proposal would empower the Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) to approve affordable housing projects after a 60-day community board review and a 30-day BSA hearing. Additionally, it introduces an Affordable Housing Fast Track for projects in the 12 community districts with the lowest affordable housing production. These districts would be recalculated every five years.
“Yes” fast tracks applications at the Board of Standards and Appeals or City Planning Commission. “No” leaves affordable housing subject to longer review and final decision at City Council. Commission members emphasized that this change is intended to reduce procedural barriers while still maintaining opportunities for public input.
Simplifying small-scale projects
Ballot Question 3 addresses modest rezonings and infrastructure improvements that often get bogged down in the same lengthy process as mega-developments. The proposed Expedited Land Use Review Procedure (ELURP) would allow smaller rezonings, acquisitions, and resiliency projects, such as adding solar panels or raising a street grade, to be decided by the City Planning Commission after community review, bypassing the City Council.
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“In order to make New York City a more vibrant and robust place for all New Yorkers, we will be proposing these five charter revision questions to voters” said Buery, adding, “We are empowered to look at every part of the chapter, and the reason why this charter was put together was to face and tackle the most existential crisis facing New York City, which is our decades-long affordability problem.”
Supporters of this measure argued it would free up resources while ensuring small but critical projects move forward without unnecessary delays. “Yes” simplifies review for limited land-use changes, including modest housing and minor infrastructure projects. “No” leaves these changes subject to longer review, with final decision by City Council.
Establishing a housing appeals board
Another significant proposal, Ballot Question 4, seeks to replace the mayor’s veto power over land-use matters related to affordable housing with a three-member Affordable Housing Appeals Board. The panel would include the City Council Speaker, the Mayor, and the relevant Borough President, or their designees. If two of the three members agree, the Board could overturn a City Council decision that blocks or modifies an affordable housing project.
“When New Yorkers flip their ballots this November, they’re going to see these five amended proposals by this commission,” said Schierenbeck as he underscored the housing crisis and described how an increasing number of residents are “feeling the effects of this crisis everyday.”
He added, “We’ve heard from people who have to commute three hours just to get to a job; we heard about mothers that are trying to leave unsafe circumstances and are forced to enter the homeless shelter system; we heard from college graduates that just want to move back home but are finding it hard to find an option; and we’ve heard from so many New Yorkers who are worried they’ll be the next ones that have to leave town because they can’t find an [affordable] way to stay.”
This measure aims to balance local, borough-wide, and citywide perspectives and prevent single points of political friction from derailing urgently needed housing. “Yes” creates the three-member Affordable Housing Appeals Board to reflect Council, borough, and citywide perspectives. “No” leaves affordable housing subject to the Mayor’s veto and final decision by City Council.
Modernizing city maps
Beyond housing, Ballot Question 5 would overhaul how the city manages its official maps. Today, New York’s City Map remains fragmented across 8,000 individual paper maps maintained by five borough offices, a system described as “stuck in 1898.” The proposal would consolidate these into a single digital City Map managed by the Department of City Planning, with implementation phased in between 2027 and 2029.
“The City Map is an important part of many projects, so to streamline this, we would create one map that’s centrally-managed and digital,” said Schierenbeck. “This would allow us to make certain projects that could take months or even years, much much faster.”
“Yes” creates a consolidated, digital City Map. “No” leaves in place five separate map and address assignment functions, administered by Borough President Offices. Officials noted that digitizing the system would reduce delays for housing and infrastructure projects that require jurisdictional confirmation or permit-approval.
Moving City elections
The most politically charged proposal came with Ballot Question 6, which would move local elections — including those for Mayor, City Council, and Borough Presidents — to coincide with federal presidential election years. Advocates say the change would broaden voter participation, reduce the cost of holding off-year elections, and produce a voting population more reflective of the city’s diversity.
“Yes” moves City elections to the same year as Federal Presidential elections, when permitted by state law. “No” leaves laws unchanged.
The measure would require a change in state law and, if enacted, could shorten or lengthen one cycle of terms to align the calendars.
Broader implications
Throughout the roundtable, speakers highlighted the human toll of the housing shortage. A nursing aide commuting three hours daily, a mother with children forced into a shelter, and a retiree leaving New York due to unaffordable rents were all cited as examples of the crisis’ reach.
“New York City is not building enough housing to meet New Yorkers’ needs,” one slide pointed out. From 2014 to 2024, 12 community districts added as much housing as the other 47 combined, putting intense pressure on a small number of neighborhoods.
The commission stressed that while the Charter cannot address everything — such as rent stabilization or property taxes — it can make the approval process more efficient, more equitable, and more transparent.
As the proposals advance toward the November ballot, the public will ultimately decide whether these sweeping changes become enshrined in the city’s governing document. If passed, the reforms could mark the most significant adjustments to New York’s land-use and governance structures in decades.
New Yorkers will vote on the proposed Charter amendments in the November 2025 general election. For more information on the CRC’s proposals, please visit the official site here.
