2025 Policy Agenda

Legalize housing throughout the State

New housing remains illegal to build in far too many parts of New York State. From vast parking lots next to train stations to underutilized land owned by religious organizations, there are so many smart opportunities where new homes are currently prohibited, pushing up the cost of housing and preventing neighborhoods from thriving. The State and local governments must take bold action to undo the restrictive and irrational restrictions on housing development that is holding New York back.

In Albany, the State Legislature should pass the Faith-Based Affordable Housing Act (S3397 / A3647), which would empower religious organizations to create affordable housing on underutilized land that they already own. As trusted community members and leaders, faith-based organizations are well positioned to help solve the housing crisis – if only they were allowed to do so.

In New York City, there are many opportunities to build on the passage of “City of Yes” with more targeted neighborhood rezonings, which will unlock tens of thousands of new homes and will bring massive, place-based improvements to long-ignored areas of the city. Open New York’s members are particularly engaged in passing significant versions of the Midtown South Mixed-Use Plan, the Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan, and the Long Island City Neighborhood Plan.

Make the process to build new homes faster, cheaper, and easier

Over the past 50 years, all levels of government have made the process of building new housing more difficult – without analyzing whether these requirements provide safety, health, or other benefits. All too often, well-resourced neighborhoods weaponize these processes to delay new affordable housing. Research from cities around the world shows us that it is possible to build housing faster and more cheaply without compromising on environmental and safety standards. To solve our housing crisis, we must make the process of getting shovels into the ground faster, cheaper, and easier.

In Albany, the State Legislature needs to fix the broken State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) Act. Building off New York City’s innovative Green Fast Track for new housing, the State Legislature can make infill housing easier to build and less likely to be held up in court for decades (S3492). New York is one of a handful of states that require housing projects of all sizes to complete extensive, pre-development paperwork that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars and allows wealthy, anti-housing groups to delay projects for years with frivolous litigation. These requirements are a key reason why New York builds so little housing relative to other states.

In New York City, the City Council should allow more apartment buildings to be constructed with only one staircase by passing a law similar to Intro. 294 of 2022. NYC’s current single-stair allowance has been extremely successful in reducing the cost of small, five- and six-story apartment buildings, and municipalities and states across the country have followed New York City’s lead in allowing this kind of construction. However, cities like Seattle and Honolulu and many cities abroad have shown that buildings with larger floorplates and taller heights can also be safely built. Expanding existing limits would allow development of more efficient single-stair buildings on common, 50 ft. x. 100 ft. lots throughout the city, and the City should also explore expanding the existing height limit.

Ensure every neighborhood contributes to ending the housing shortage

Nearly every state is experiencing a worsening housing crisis, and leaders across the country have used their executive authority to convene rapid task forces and to identify statewide and regional housing needs. New York is falling further and further behind growing and more affordable states like Florida, which issued nearly 200,000 housing permits in 2024 – compared to only 48,000 in New York.

In Albany, the Governor should issue an Executive Order requiring the Department of Homes and Community Renewal (DHCR) to determine the amount of housing we need to build each year to turn the tide on the housing crisis. New York needs an official housing production target, which, if achieved, would allow the State to grow in population again and make housing more affordable to current and future residents. DHCR should also determine these housing targets for each of New York’s ten Economic Development Regions to ensure that every part of the state is responsible for solving the crisis.

In New York City, the current land use review process sustains an inequitable status quo by allowing much-needed housing in high-demand neighborhoods to be blocked or endlessly delayed. The new Charter Revision Commission provides an opportunity to support the goals of Speaker Adams’s Fair Housing Framework by fast-tracking projects in low-growth areas that advance fair housing. See our charter revision recommendations for how we can address this issue.

Empower homebuyers and tenants with stronger rights and enforcement

In Albany, building upon last year’s passage of “good cause” protections for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, the State Legislature should provide tenants with the first opportunity to purchase their buildings if and when they are offered for sale (S401) and with more financial resources to prevent eviction (S72 / A1704).

In New York City, the City Council should finally bring oversight to co-ops’ rejections of applicants by passing Intro. 407 of 2024. The problem of discrimination in co-op admissions is well known, and yet proposals to add minimal reporting requirements to co-op boards have been stymied for years. Intro. 407 would simply require co-op boards to provide the specific reasons for rejection to an applicant, who has likely undergone significant effort in order to apply to buy a home.

Strengthen government agencies to fast-track new housing

In Albany, the State Legislature should create new programs and funding streams that can finance innovative housing models, including social, workforce, and public housing. For example, the State should fund a new loan program to support equitable, mixed-income housing projects (S733 / A799). In far too many parts of New York, banks will not provide the financing that is needed to create thriving, mixed-income developments. Following the lead of other counties and states across the country, New York can dedicate a relatively small amount of money to a revolving loan fund in order to spur the construction of thousands of apartments each year.

In New York City, the Charter Revision Commission should expedite HPD-financed affordable housing on City-owned land by requiring the City Council to sign-off on projects without such projects having to go through the full land-use review process. Projects will potentially save a year of construction delay and countless hours of City staff time, which could be shifted to pushing other high-priority projects forward. See our charter revision recommendations for how we can address this issue.