2025 New York City Charter Revision Commission

Key Metrics and Commission Highlights

50%

Estimated Housing Production Time Reduction with Fast Track

Community Districts Targeted for Affordable Housing Fast Track

75%

Proposed Streamlining for Modest Housing & Infrastructure Projects

Proposed Ballot Amendments for November 2025

26+

Hours of Public Testimony Received

600+

Written Comments Submitted Regarding Charter Revisions

The 2025 Charter Revision Commission interim report outlines four major housing-focused reforms:

Affordable Housing Fast Track: Creates a new Board of Standards and Appeals action streamlining zoning relief for publicly financed affordable housing projects to speed approvals.
Targeted Streamlined Public Review: Cuts review time in half for affordable housing projects in the 12 community districts permitting the least affordable housing, starting January 2027.
Expedited Land Use Review Procedure (ELURP): Simplifies reviews for modest housing and urgently-needed climate resiliency projects, reducing expenses and delays caused by the current ULURP process.
ULURP Appeals Board Creation: Replaces the Mayor’s veto power with a three-member Appeals Board composed of the Borough President, City Council Speaker, and Mayor, which can override City Council land use decisions by majority vote.

Reform	Expected Effect	Target Implementation
Affordable Housing Fast Track	Reduce project zoning approval time by 50%	Jan 2027
Expedited Land Use Review Procedure	Increase modest housing projects approvals by 30%	Jan 2027
ULURP Appeals Board	Mitigate Council member veto effects, removing barrier to ~10,000 units/year	Nov 2025 Ballot
Digitize City Map Configuration	Reduce planning and permitting confusion, improve transparency	2026

All projections based on expert testimony and modeling from Commission staff analysis and planning departments.

The Commission proposes reforms aimed at increasing representation and voter turnout:

Move Municipal Elections to Even-Numbered Presidential Years: Aligns local elections with federal to optimize turnout and cost-efficiency.
Exploration of Open Primaries: While no consensus on immediate implementation, the Commission seeks further feedback about opening primaries to all voters irrespective of party affiliation.

Measure	2021 Turnout	Estimated 2025 Impact
Municipal Election Turnout (2021)	35%	Projected Increase to 52% if moved to presidential year
Open Primaries Participation (Projected)	N/A	Potential 15% increase in primary electorate diversity

Election data and projections based on City Board of Elections and voter behavior studies.

Throughout 2025, the Commission gathered input widely:

Held 9 public hearings accumulating over 26 hours of community testimony.
Collected more than 600 written comments from residents, advocacy groups, and stakeholders.
Focused discussions on enhancing housing affordability, transparency in governance, and voter empowerment.
Final vote approved five questions to present to voters on the 2025 November ballot, including housing, land use, and election reforms.

Engagement Type	Count	Comments
Public Hearing Hours	26+	Extensive community dialogue
Written Comments	600+	Substantive feedback shaping proposals
Public Meetings	10	Including July 7 and July 21 major hearings

The Charter Revision Commission’s reforms have sparked robust discussion among city officials, advocacy groups, and the public:

Some City Council members expressed concern the reforms diminish local control through diluting the power of single members via the Appeals Board.
Mayor Adams supports reforms to accelerate affordable housing and make government more responsive.
Opposition groups worry reforms could reduce neighborhood voices and rubber-stamp developments.
Election reform’s move to presidential years is widely seen as positive for increasing voter turnout.

The November 2025 ballot will decisively determine the reforms’ future impact on NYC governance and housing.