The New York City Charter Revision Commission (CRC) and the Mayor’s Office of Minority and Ethnic Media and Community Affairs (MOECM) held an online meeting on September 17th to introduce five charter revision proposals that will appear on the November general election ballot. These proposals cover housing approval procedures, city planning systems, and municipal election arrangements, all of which will directly impact the city’s long-term housing supply and voter turnout rates.
CRC Chairman Richard R. Buery Jr. stated that New York City is facing a housing crisis, with a vacancy rate of only 1.4% and over half of tenants paying more than 30% of their income towards rent. Among the five charter revision proposals, four are related to housing. CRC Executive Director Alec Schierenbeck added that from 2014 to 2024, housing production in the 12 communities is equivalent to that of the other 47, indicating a highly concentrated housing supply in New York City.
The four housing-related charter amendment proposals are as follows:
1. Accelerate Affordable Housing Approval: Establishing a fast track for city-subsidized affordable housing and shortening approval times in the 12 communities with the lowest production.
2. Simplify Small-Scale Project and Infrastructure Reviews: Simplifying reviews for moderate housing additions and small-scale infrastructure projects, significantly reducing review times. Community board review will be retained, with the final decision made by the New York City Planning Commission.
3. Establish an Affordable Housing Appeals Board: Comprising the Mayor, City Council Speaker, and Borough President to review plans rejected or reduced by the City Council.
4. Digitize City Maps: Integrating over 8,000 paper maps scattered across the five boroughs into a single digital system to improve efficiency.
In addition to housing issues, CRC Chairman Buery also addressed the low voter turnout in municipal elections. The voter turnout in last year’s municipal elections was only about 23%, much lower than during presidential election years. He cited estimates by the Independent Budget Office that shifting municipal elections to even-numbered years would not only increase voter participation but also save the city $42 million in expenses every two years.
If New York City voters approve the aforementioned amendments in the November elections, except for election restructuring which requires state constitutional amendments and approval from the state legislature to be implemented, the rest of the housing and land use-related measures could be incorporated into the city charter as early as the end of this year.
You can find more information about the five charter revision proposals on the ballot here:
Chinese version: [Link to the Chinese translation of the proposals](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/charter/downloads/pdf/translations/traditional-chinese-translations-combined.pdf)
English version: [Link to the adopted ballot questions and abstracts](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/charter/downloads/pdf/translations/adopted-ballot-questions-and-abstracts.pdf)