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Q&A
REBNY discusses potential recommendations focusing on environmental impact thresholds for ULURP
2:59:52
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94 sec
Commissioner Carl Weisbrod asks if the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) will provide specific charter revision recommendations. Basha Gerhards indicates they likely will but are carefully considering options due to the industry's risk aversion.
She states REBNY is focusing on the idea of using environmental impact as a key threshold for determining whether a project requires full ULURP review, moving away from the current system based primarily on the type of land use action (e.g., zoning change) regardless of project scale or actual impact.
- REBNY is considering specific recommendations but proceeding cautiously.
- A key area of focus is using potential environmental impact as a threshold for requiring full ULURP review.
- This contrasts with the current system primarily based on the type of land use mechanism involved.
Carl Weisbrod
2:59:52
Just very briefly, thank you both for your testimony.
2:59:57
It was very helpful.
2:59:58
Miss Gerhardt, will the real estate board be submitting very specific recommendations to us?
Basha Gerhards
3:00:05
Ideally, yes.
3:00:06
I I think, you know, as you know, the industry is a bit risk adverse, and we're listening to a number of different suggestions, taking those under advisement, and, you know, sorting through what we think will be productive in our support while also understanding that injecting or creating a new process does introduce new risks to what is already risky development process, especially when we start thinking about the discretionary review.
3:00:32
One thing I would say that we have coalesced around as, like, a starting point is really thinking through, and I think you've heard this from several other groups both tonight and at the hearing last month as well, is really looking at whether environmental impacts and whether there are environmental impacts is looking at that as a screening tool for whether something goes through a full Euler process.
3:00:54
The 1989 charter changes were really focused more on mechanism.
3:00:59
Correct?
3:00:59
Right.
3:00:59
Zoning map changes must go through this full process regardless of whether it's a extension for a supermarket or facilitating a otherwise, generally, as of right, UDAP or HPD finance project that's a % affordable.
3:01:16
The 1989 charter changes didn't really distinguish between those mechanism between those project scales and really focus on mechanism as the the screening entity.