Affordable Housing Fast-Tracked As Mamdani Cuts Approval Time

NEW YORK, NY— The City will fast-track an 84-unit affordable housing project on a vacant City-owned lot in the Bronx, marking the first use of new voter-approved measures designed to speed development, Dina Levy, commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, said.

Called Powerhouse Apartments, the development will be 100 percent affordable, including 30 units for formerly homeless New Yorkers. Under the old system, the project would have faced at least 200 days of layered review: 60 days by the community board, 30 days by the borough president, 60 days by the City Planning Commission, and at least 50 days by the City Council.

The fast-track process condenses the timeline to roughly 90 days. The community board and borough president will review the project simultaneously for 60 days, followed by a 30-day City Council review.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has made development a centerpiece of his plan to address the City’s housing crisis. His deputy mayor for housing and planning, Leila Bozorg, helped craft the ballot proposals, which voters approved in November. Mamdani said he voted for the measures.

Supporters say the changes reduce the influence of individual council members over local projects, a practice known as member deference, which often slowed construction. Annemarie Gray, head of the pro-development group Open New York, has appeared at rallies with Mamdani, advocating for reforms to state environmental laws to ease building.

The fast-track process is expected to apply to dozens of additional City-owned lots in the coming months, according to City officials.

A separate fast-track announcement will allow the City to acquire a 3.7-acre lot to expand Saw Mill Creek Marsh Park on Staten Island, Alec Schierenbeck, general counsel for the City Planning Department, said.