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Q&A
Addressing potential controversy and legal challenges in creating as-of-right housing pathways
1:29:24
·
174 sec
Commissioner Diane Savino questions whether creating as-of-right pathways for smaller housing projects would face controversy and litigation. Vishaan Chakrabarti acknowledges the likelihood of both but deems reform necessary, suggesting an omnibus measure (perhaps state-level) to implement widespread changes, which would still undergo review and potential legal challenges.
- Chakrabarti concedes that changing ULURP and creating more as-of-right development will be controversial.
- He argues the current system is overstressed and requires fundamental changes.
- Implementing widespread as-of-right for specific housing types likely requires map amendments, potentially needing a state General Project Plan (GPP) or similar omnibus approach.
- Such a process would still involve environmental review and legal hurdles but aims to create a viable framework.
Diane Savino
1:29:24
It's so thank you.
1:29:25
So I'm just I'm thinking out loud.
1:29:27
So what you're suggesting is that for those low density projects or the three to five, the that we eliminate the Euler process entirely.
1:29:35
We just go straight to as of right.
Yvonne Roman
1:29:37
You don't think that
Diane Savino
1:29:37
would be somewhat controversial, though, amongst, like, locality?
Vishaan Chakrabarti
1:29:40
Controversial?
1:29:41
We're at the Charter Revision Commission.
1:29:43
I mean true.
1:29:44
And and no.
1:29:44
I of course Is that the car that's rejected?
1:29:46
It should be No.
Howard Slatkin
1:29:46
Actually,
Vishaan Chakrabarti
1:29:47
of course, it would be.
1:29:48
But we look.
1:29:49
We need much more as of right housing if for for all of the reasons that have been discussed for the last hour, hour and a half.
1:29:56
Right?
1:29:57
City planning, where I'm a former and proud employee, is incredibly overstressed.
1:30:02
The Manhattan office that I used to run, I believe, had 32 people when I ran, and I think it's 19 or 20 now, right, because of city budget cuts.
1:30:11
You know, we don't have the bandwidth in our system, and so we just need to create much more as of right housing.
1:30:19
The question is how do we create as a right housing that people don't outright reject in their communities because they feel like it's a scale that makes sense.
1:30:28
Right?
Shams DaBaron
1:30:28
Mhmm.
Vishaan Chakrabarti
1:30:29
Can be built at a cost that makes sense for small and midsize builders and not just the 10 billionaires that control the real estate industry?
1:30:38
And how can that that housing then be affordable for our workforce?
1:30:42
And I I think that's not gonna happen unless it's as right because you cannot build the smaller and mid sized housing that was just in those images if those if those builders have to go through ULEP.
1:30:54
It's impossible.
Diane Savino
1:30:56
How do you avoid the extensive litigation?
1:30:59
So, again, you carve you they're not subject to ULEP.
1:31:02
There's no such thing as, you know, having to deal with the borough president and the council member, whoever the local electeds are, the community board.
1:31:09
But the opposition may still remain.
1:31:11
So let's assume somebody immediately goes to court and, you know, files a lawsuit to prevent this development.
1:31:16
Do you know foresee that as a potential Well, I
Vishaan Chakrabarti
1:31:19
think the thing is there would have to be a process to get to what I'm talking about.
1:31:23
Right?
1:31:23
And, again, I I think it might be a state process.
1:31:26
I'm not an attorney.
1:31:27
I'm not sure.
1:31:28
I don't know what could happen.
1:31:29
Because the problem here is to to look at those 10,000 sites scattered across mainly four boroughs because Staten Island doesn't have that much transit rich, sites available.
Diane Savino
1:31:39
No.
1:31:39
We don't.
Vishaan Chakrabarti
1:31:40
Right?
1:31:41
But mainly across four boroughs.
1:31:43
Those are to use Euler technicality.
1:31:45
Those are a series of map amendment.
1:31:46
City of yes was very precisely built around a set of text amendments.
1:31:51
Right?
1:31:52
Because map amendments trigger a lot of things in terms of Euler.
1:31:55
So I think it's a state GPP.
1:31:57
I'm not sure.
1:31:58
I'm not a lawyer, but I think we need some kind of omnibus measure that lets the smaller and mid scale stuff happen.
1:32:05
At during that time, there will be a process.
1:32:08
There'll be an EIS.
1:32:09
Opponents can oppose.
1:32:11
They can advocate.
1:32:12
They can sue.
1:32:13
They can do all of those things.
1:32:14
And when the dust settles, something will hopefully come of it that's positive.