The 2025 New York City Charter Revision Commission has released its interim report with five possible ballot proposals aimed at tackling the housing crisis and making local elections more inclusive. The ideas include advancing affordable housing, streamlining approvals for smaller projects and moving municipal elections to even-numbered years to boost turnout. The Commission is also asking for more community feedback on adopting open primaries.
“The Commission’s interim report includes a strong set of proposals that meet the moment for New York City. Together, they can help build a more affordable city and a more responsive government,” said Richard R. Buery, Jr., chair, 2025 Charter Revision Commission.
Four of the proposals target land use reforms to deliver more affordable housing quickly and support modestly sized developments. Another proposal would shift city elections to even-numbered years, while the Commission continues to study open primaries for city races.
The interim report follows more than 26 hours of public testimony collected over nine hearings and 600 written comments. A public hearing is set for July 7 to gather more feedback, with written testimony accepted through July 15. The Commission will hold a public meeting on July 21 before voting on final ballot language.
Fast Track Affordable Housing
The first proposal would create a fast track approval process for publicly financed affordable housing. It would give the Board of Standards and Appeals new authority to streamline zoning relief for qualifying projects and halve review times in the 12 community districts that have added the least affordable housing since 2027. The plan builds on the City Council’s 2023 Fair Housing Framework to address segregation, displacement and gentrification.
Expedited Review for Modest Projects
The second proposal calls for an Expedited Land Use Review Procedure (ELURP) for smaller changes. It would simplify approvals for modest increases in housing, land acquisition and disposition for affordable housing and climate resiliency projects. The goal is to enable projects that full ULURP currently makes too slow or costly.
New ULURP Appeals Board
The third proposal would replace the mayor’s veto over City Council land use actions with a new Appeals Board made up of the borough president, City Council speaker and mayor. The board could override Council decisions on certain land use matters if two out of three agree. The change aims to balance local voices with borough-wide and citywide needs and address barriers created by “member deference.”
Digitized City Map
The fourth proposal would modernize the City Map, which now exists as more than 8,000 paper maps split across boroughs. By consolidating and digitizing the map, the city could cut approval timelines for housing and infrastructure projects, allowing faster and more coordinated reviews.
Even-Year Elections
The fifth proposal recommends moving municipal elections to even-numbered years, aligning them with presidential and statewide contests. The Commission says this would improve voter turnout, which is usually more than double in even years compared to odd years, make elections more representative and save taxpayer money. This change would also require amending the New York State Constitution.
Open Primaries Under Review
The Commission is also asking for more public input on the idea of open primaries for city elections. In this system, all voters and candidates would participate in a single primary with party labels on the ballot. The top two finishers, using ranked-choice voting, would move on to the general election. The Commission has spent six months reviewing the proposal with election law experts and is weighing whether to send it to voters.
“At public forums across the city, New Yorkers have made clear they want a government that can act with the urgency and scale that our challenges require. These proposed reforms would give New York tools it needs to tackle the housing crisis and build a more affordable city,” said Alec Schierenbeck, executive director, 2025 Charter Revision Commission.
New Yorkers can share their thoughts at the July 7 public hearing or by submitting written testimony before July 15. The Commission will vote on which questions make the ballot at its July 21 meeting.