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Commissioners debate addressing "member deference" in housing development and land use
0:37:43
·
155 sec
Commissioner Diane Savino emphasizes the political challenge of addressing "member deference" in housing development, warning that attempts to bypass local council members' influence will face strong opposition (sentence 287 is from previous chapter but sets context).
Commissioner Kathryn Wylde suggests that reinforcing the roles of community boards, borough presidents, and the City Council Speaker could provide a balanced approach, as member deference is a practice, not a law.
The discussion revolves around how to streamline housing processes without alienating elected officials or undermining community input.
- Savino argues that "member deference" is seen by elected officials as vital for representing their constituents' interests in local planning.
- Wylde counters that the Speaker of the City Council ultimately controls the practice of member deference and that proposed reforms could strengthen other forms of community and borough-level input.
- The conversation explores adding layers of review involving borough presidents and the mayor to create a more balanced decision-making process.
Diane Savino
0:37:43
But on on back on the housing thing, I mean, I think we're in a in an interesting place.
0:37:49
Everybody that you speak to in this city, and I don't care what elected official it is, know, whatever part of the city is, all says the same thing.
0:37:55
New York City has become too unaffordable for the people that they represent, whether that's on the Upper East Side or the South Shore Of Staten Island.
0:38:03
How we get to developing or streamlining the process for housing development for all of those people with disparate interests is going to be complicated.
0:38:13
But I do think streamlining the process for certain projects you're right, Alec.
0:38:17
The idea that you have the same EULIP process for a 60 story apartment building on the Upper West West Side as a two story townhouse on the South Shore Of Staten Island makes no sense.
0:38:28
The issue of member deference, though, is going to be critically important because if we run up into that buzzsaw, we will lose support from every elected official because they will see that as we are usurping their ability to make plans and decisions for the people who entrusted them to make plans and decisions.
0:38:43
So I don't know the answer to that, and I don't know how we fix that, but that has to be part of the conversation.
0:38:48
If we try and go around them, we will meet tremendous resistance on that, because that's an easy argument for people to make against a charter revision question that might touch the issue.
0:39:00
And I don't even know how we would do that considering member deference is simply just the functioning of a legislative body.
0:39:05
They all trust each other to make decisions.
0:39:09
And if that breaks down, then they have not you know, they don't have the ability to really plan for their own communities.
0:39:15
So
0:39:59
So if you add in the borough president, you add in the mayor.
0:40:02
Right.
0:40:02
And, again, all elected officials themselves who are who who have to respond.
0:40:07
But
Kathryn Wylde
0:39:15
Reinforcing community board and borough president, and I think that that's a balance.
0:39:21
And in the appeals provision, the power of the speaker of the city council.
0:39:27
And, really, the decision about member deference is in the hands of the speaker of the city council.
0:39:34
It's not in law.
0:39:34
It's not in charter.
0:39:36
It's purely the speaker allows it or doesn't allow.
0:39:42
So I think that we are we can address Mhmm.
0:39:46
The the issue that we are not undermining community representation.
0:39:51
In fact, are reinforcing it with some of what we're doing.
0:39:56
that with some citywide perspective.
0:39:58
Right.
0:39:58
With the city.
0:39:59
Right.
0:40:07
confinement the city council and the borough president will work together, blah blah blah.
0:40:12
Enough city council will be Community boards.
0:40:15
Mhmm.
Sharon Greenberger
0:39:54
So I I I don't have an appellant
Anita Laremont
0:40:15
Yeah.
0:40:16
I was just gonna say that.