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TESTIMONY
Testimony by Brendan Cheney from the New York Housing Conference on ULURP reform and fair housing distribution
2:24:17
·
3 min
Brendan Cheney from the New York Housing Conference (NYHC) testifies on charter reforms to address the unequal distribution of affordable housing.
NYHC recommends easier approvals for affordable housing via BSA waivers or exempting conforming projects on city land from ULURP.
They propose faster/broader ULURP changes: shortening the process in districts missing fair housing goals (ending at CPC), merging/shortening CB/BP review under the BP, having small projects stop at BP review, and exempting minor actions like special permits.
Brendan Cheney
2:24:17
Good evening.
2:24:18
Good evening.
2:24:19
My name is Brendan Cheney.
2:24:20
I'm the director of policy and operations at the New York Housing Conference.
2:24:23
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
2:24:25
New York Housing Conference is a nonprofit affordable housing policy and advocacy organization.
2:24:31
As a broad based coalition, our mission is to advance city, state, and federal policies and funding to support the development and preservation of decent affordable housing for all New Yorkers.
2:24:40
You've got my full testimony, but I'm gonna try and summarize it so I can fit it all in in in the time I have.
2:24:45
When I testified in The Bronx, I shared information and data about the extent of the housing crisis and shared data that you guys have already heard just showing how affordable housing is not distributed equally across the city.
2:25:00
We have our New York City housing tracker that shows that data.
2:25:02
We're updating that data probably next week with the latest information, and it's gonna show the same thing that we've been seeing in the past.
2:25:08
Nothing's changing.
2:25:08
It's the same unequal distribution across the city.
2:25:11
And so unless we make changes, next year's housing tracker is going to show the same thing as this year's housing trackers, last year's housing tracker, that we have really unequal distribution across the city.
2:25:21
So when we thought about how to what to recommend to you all, we focused on three main issues, right?
2:25:33
How can we create an easier approval process for affordable housing?
2:25:36
How can we create a faster process for housing development?
2:25:39
And how can we make housing and zoning decisions with more of a borough wide and citywide approach?
2:25:44
With that focus, we came up with several recommendations, which I will summarize.
2:25:50
First of all, two recommendations that we think would make an easier approval process for affordable housing.
2:25:55
First, you've already heard Howard talk about it, but this sort of fast track for affordable housing through the Board of Standards and Appeals, waiving the rezoning for that project.
2:26:09
And then secondly, for affordable housing on city owned land should not have to go through ULURP if it meets the underlying zoning.
2:26:19
So sort of exempt that affordable housing, city owned land should not have to go through ULURP.
2:26:26
Specifically for ULURP and and housing development, we recommend building on the city's fair housing framework by shortening EULAR process so that in districts that are not meeting their fair housing framework goals, the housing the EULAR process would end at the City Planning Commission.
2:26:49
And then finally just a few short proposals.
2:26:57
Let's see, shortening the Euler process, we support merging the Borough President and Community Board review into one review that's shorter and that would be under the focus of the borough president.
2:27:10
We think you could have a shorter timeline, but also one that has a better, less toxic review process.
2:27:17
And then small and minor projects, we support going through the borough stopping at the borough president.
2:27:24
A lot of small projects don't go through ULURP because it's too expensive.
2:27:27
And then finally, smaller changes that we think should not have to go through ULURP, like special permits, revocable consents, concessions, things like that.