Ballot Measures Fight Enters Final Month, and What Else Happened in Housing This Week

Councilmembers and unions on one side, housers and the Charter Commission on the other. Two sides of the debate over new ballot measures have different ideas of how to secure affordable housing in New York.

The fight over housing-related measures on New Yorkers’ general election ballot is heating up with under four weeks until Election Day.

Tuesday, City Council leaders rallied with influential labor unions against ballot measures two, three, and four, which would “fast track” affordable housing in certain neighborhoods, reduce public review of modest housing projects, and establish an appeals board that could override Council decisions on income-restricted development.

Supporters of the ballot measures argue hey will help get affordable housing built in New York faster. The City Council says that the measures will undermine its role in the land use process, which lawmakers say helps them secure critical benefits for their districts.

The Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, building workers union 32BJ SEIU, and the District Council of Carpenters argued those agreements also help them get new members and secure benefits.

“We all know we are in a housing crisis. We support housing. But these ballot proposals aim to exploit New Yorkers’ real concern and hide what they actually do. The proposals would move decision power away from those that are closest to the community,” said 32BJ president Manny Pastreich in a press conference Monday.

Simultaneously, a group formed in September to support the measures, “YES on Affordable Housing,” raised $3 million, according to the New York Times.

Public figures like Comptroller Brad Lander, incoming Comptroller Mark Levine, Brooklyn Borough President Antionio Reynoso and others have signaled their support for the ballot measures, which they argue will make it easier and faster to produce affordable housing.

The Charter Commission is also fighting two lawsuits, one led by conservative City Council members and another from the City Club of New York. Last month, the Council attempted to get the measures thrown off the ballot by appealing to the Board of Elections that they were misleading. The board declined.

Here’s what else happened in housing this week —

ICYMI, from City Limits:

• For the first time, housing code violations issued by the city at NYCHA properties are now publicly available—what advocates say is a win for transparency, giving public housing residents information about their buildings that tenants in privately-owned properties have long had access to.
• Environmental groups are pressing Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign a bill that would eliminate the 100-foot rule, which requires utility companies add new gas hookups at any building within 100 feet of an existing gas line. They argue the rule keeps New York hooked on fossil fuel infrastructure while passing on the costs to residents via ever-increasing home energy bills.

ICYMI, from other local newsrooms:

• New York Democrats are rallying around Tish James in the wake of what they say is a politically motivated indictment by the Trump administration, which accuses the attorney general of fraud related to a mortgage for a home she bought in Virginia. “What we’re seeing today is nothing less than the weaponization of the Justice Department to punish those who hold the powerful accountable,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said, according to Politico.
• An update on the four downstate casino proposals still standing, via The City.
• The Adams administration’s proposal to rezone more than 200 blocks in downtown Jamaica to spur more housing passed two Council committee votes this week, now with a lower target on the number of new units, and more funding for community groups, the Queens Eagle reports.
• A newly passed bill will require New York City homeless shelters to disclose when they lack air conditioning, according to Gothamist.
• A “housing league” formed by local elected officials last year has been working behind the scenes to “support a pro-housing agenda,” The Real Deal reports.

To reach the reporter behind this story, contact [email protected]. To reach the editor, contact [email protected]

Want to republish this story? Find City Limits’ reprint policy here.