Ballot measures for affordable housing prevail

This article was originally published on November 4 at 10:52 PM EDT by THE CITY

New Yorkers said yes to four citywide ballot measures Tuesday night, approving a series of proposals aimed at reshaping the way the city approaches affordable housing.

The sweeping changes stem from Proposals 2 through 5, which aim to increase housing production by streamlining land use assessments and modernizing the city’s development process. According to the unofficial results of the Election Council, all four proposals were adopted with more than 56 percent of the votes. The fifth proposal, which would digitize and create a uniform city map, received even more support.

Propositions 2, 3 and 4 received major pushback from the City Council, which used public funds to pay for used mailers, digital advertising and public information campaigns to counter what Council members described as “misleading language” in the ballot questions.

The measures, proposed by a charter review committee convened by Mayor Eric Adams, would allow certain developments — particularly those that create permanently affordable housing or in neighborhoods that have historically seen little new construction — to proceed without City Council approval. Council members warned that the land use review could limit local control over local development, while supporters argued it was necessary to cut red tape and accelerate housing production.

“Tonight, New Yorkers sent a message: We must tackle the housing crisis, and to do that we need new tools. Today’s vote gives the city powerful new tools to build the affordable housing New Yorkers need and deserve,” said Richard Buery, Chairman of the Charter Revision Commission. “These proposals will make it faster and more efficient to build affordable housing in every neighborhood. I look forward to working with the new mayor to ensure these tools are put to good use to provide the affordable housing New Yorkers desperately need.”

Council spokesman Benjamin Fang-Estrada said in a statement: “New Yorkers urgently need more housing that is affordable to them, but the solution is not to take away the power of communities to secure more affordability and essential public goods from developers and the city. These misguided ballot proposals permanently change the city’s constitution to weaken democracy, and will continue until after the next mayor, when we will inevitably have a mayor who is bad on housing, equity and justice for communities. This will leave our city without checks and balances to protect New Yorkers and ensure results that prioritize them, not just profits.”

A majority of voters rejected the final question, Ballot Proposition 6, which would have aligned municipal elections with federal and state races. Opponents warned there was a risk the election could be overshadowed by national issues.

The only statewide amendment, Ballot Proposal 1, would retroactively authorize the transfer of 323 acres of constitutionally protected state forest preserve to the Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex. The state plans to purchase 2,500 hectares of land to replace the transfer. A majority of New York City residents disapproved of the amendment, but votes are still being counted statewide.
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