Comptroller Brad Lander wants to build 500,000 housing units over the next 10 years by, in part, declaring a housing emergency to speed up construction.
Lander, who is running for mayor, released a 36-page housing plan on Thursday that calls for shortening land use review for some projects, tripling the city’s housing agency’s budget and introducing a different approach to zoning. Part of the plan is also aimed at curbing the influence of the real estate industry in determining annual rent increases for stabilized apartments.
Housing has become a major focus in the mayoral race, and Lander’s plan is the longest to be released so far. His plan leaves several questions unanswered about how some proposals would actually materialize.
One proposal would expedite the land use review process for some projects by reforming the city charter. Projects would go through a 90-day land use review process and would not require City Council approval — which can make or break a project.
The change would last through the housing emergency, with an eye to making it permanent. A committee of “randomly selected” New Yorkers that “reflect New York City’s rich diversity” would be tasked with coming up with a housing plan that determines what kinds of projects would qualify for the quicker review. The City Council would then approve that plan.
Some City Council members balked at other proposals of reform to the city’s land use review process. It seems unlikely that the Council would be keen to relinquish their authority over a large class of project types in the process outlined by Lander.
The city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure takes roughly seven months, though pre-certification and environmental review can drag on for years before the process starts. A charter commission convened by Mayor Eric Adams is already considering various recommendations for amending Ulurp, including trimming the review period and creating an appeals process for projects rejected by the City Council.
Another proposal from Lander pushes for changes to the Rent Guidelines Board, stating that it is “overly influenced by the real estate industry.” He wants to reduce the number of members from nine to seven (by removing some public members), loosen the qualifications for who can serve and require that the City Council approve appointees. He also wants the RGB to retire an annual report that provides recommended ranges for rent increases.
These proposals, unsurprisingly, have respectively drawn criticism and praise from landlord and tenant groups.
“His plan to reform the Rent Guidelines Board is basically rearranging the bureaucratic deck chairs under a belief that it will create a different outcome,” Kenny Burgos, head of the landlord group New York Apartment Association, said. “The truth is that more than half of rent-stabilized buildings have seen their values decline dramatically in the past five years as the RGB continues to defund these buildings.”
Lander also said he would work to keep annual rent increases as low as possible and would support a rent freeze if the board’s research shows that it is viable. Assembly member Zohran Mamdani, who is also running for mayor, was the first of the mayoral candidates to promise to freeze rents. He was joined by Sen. Jessica Ramos and former Assembly member Michael Blake.
A group focused on organizing tenants to vote solely for candidates committed to freezing the rent commended Lander.
“Comptroller Brad Lander’s platform demonstrates his commitment to overcoming the influence of the real estate industry at City Hall – and that he understands how tenants have suffered under Eric Adams’ leadership,” Cea Weaver, director of the New York State Tenant Bloc, said in a statement.
Lander also wants voters to weigh in on elements of City of Yes for Housing Opportunity that were watered down, including the elimination of parking minimums citywide.
His plan further calls for dramatic increases to HPD’s budget, though it doesn’t detail where the additional funds will spring from. A representative for Lander said revenue bonds would play a part. Lander is also pitching the construction of housing on four of the city’s 12 golf courses, though he doesn’t specify which ones. The state would need to sign off on any such project that moves forward.
Additionally, he wants the City Planning Commission to study “form-based zoning,” which emphasizes a building’s physical form rather than its use. A representative for Lander indicated that a form-based code could allow for more small-scale, mixed-use development in low-density districts. It is not clear to what extent this approach would be applied in the city, but large-scale, fundamental changes to the zoning code would take time and money to implement.
Other mayoral candidates have released their own housing plans. Sen. Zellnor Myrie wants to build at least 700,000 new housing units over the next decade and preserve another 300,000, while Mamdani has pitched a $100 billion housing plan that would require some $70 billion in bonds.
Read more
