Is member deference next on the chopping block in the administration’s efforts to ramp up housing construction?
On Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams announced that he is convening another charter revision commission, this time to “combat the city’s generational housing crisis.” The commission includes former City Planning heads from the de Blasio administration, including Carl Weisbrod and Anita Laremont.
The most important land use-related item in the City Charter is the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure. The commission has not met, so we don’t know what changes the group will pursue. But we can speculate!
Starting with what would probably be the toughest change to tackle: member deference. This refers to the City Council’s tradition to vote on land use actions according to the wishes of the local Council member. This dynamic means that if it becomes evident that the local Council member will not support a project, the developer will pull the application before it comes to a final vote. That’s what happened to Bruce Teitelbaum’s project on West 145th Street in Harlem in 2022, though the developer has since revived the development now that a new City Council member represents the area.
You can’t really legislate away a tradition, but the charter commission could suggest changes that would weaken member deference. In 2022, the Citizens Budget Commission released a report that floated the possibility of creating an appeal process for rejected land use applications or requiring a supermajority vote to override approval by the City Planning Commission.
Either of those ideas would be a tough sell, and would further stoke tensions between the mayor and City Council. Speaker Adrienne Adams has not been shy about characterizing the last charter commission formed by the mayor as a power grab, telling Pix11 this week that the last commission “was weaponized with both cannons pointed directly at the City Council.” Charter commissions initiated by the mayor take priority over those formed by the City Council, which was in the process of establishing its own.
James Power, an attorney with Kramer Levin, suggested that the mayor’s commission could shorten Ulurp or exempt more projects from it. Another source pointed to condensing the time that community boards and borough presidents get to review land use applications. If you have ideas, send them our way!
What we’re thinking about: How much of a role will the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity play in City Council races next year? Send a note to kathryn@therealdeal.com.
A thing we’ve learned: The kākāpō, the world’s heaviest parrot, is also known as the “mighty moss chicken,” according to the Guardian.
Elsewhere in New York…
— State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie is expected to tap Assembly Member Gary Pretlow to chair the Ways and Means Committee, City & State reports. Pretlow will replace Assembly member Helene Weinstein, who is retiring.
— Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday announced that she has launched an investigation into the drones that have been spotted throughout New York and New Jersey, the New York Times reports. She said there is no evidence that the drones pose any public safety or national security threat. On Thursday, a spokesperson for the National Security Council said that the sightings in New Jersey appear to be the result of “manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully” and that the council has not been able to corroborate reports of unauthorized drones.
— I regret to inform you that SantaCon is on Saturday. It kicks off at 10 a.m. on Broadway and West 39th Street, Gothamist reports. Be careful out there.
Closing Time
Residential: The priciest residential sale Friday was $45 million for a condo unit at One High Line, the new development at 500 West 18th Street. The unit is 7,400 square feet and listed by Corcoran Sunshine Marketing’s Deborah Kern and Steve Gold.
Commercial: The largest commercial sale of the day was a $70 million development site at 180 East 125th Street. Extell Development’s Gary Barnett offloaded the 43,000-square-foot East Harlem site to an unknown buyer after acquiring it for $39 million 10 years ago, according to reports.
New to the Market: The highest price for a residential property hitting the market was $39.5 million for a penthouse at 25 Bond Street. The Noho unit is 6,400 square feet and last sold in 2021 for $24.6 million. Compass’s Nick Gavin and Kimberly Lyn Pressman have the listing.
— Joseph Jungermann