Mayor Eric Adams’s Charter Revision Commission (CRC), which should not be mistaken for the dueling CRC convened by the City Council, voted to adopt ballot proposals mostly about housing last month. These will appear on ballots during the general election this November, giving voters a choice to make about the future of housing in New York City.
Adams describes his administration as the “most pro-housing in city history,” so it is unsurprising that his CRC came up with four ballot proposals that center on housing and land use. The ultimate goal of his City of Yes for Housing Opportunity (CHO) plan is to build 500,000 homes in every neighborhood across the city by 2032.
After about seven months of public hearings, the CRC concluded on July 21 and put out a final proposal report soon after. The proposals will appear as questions on the ballot to be voted on in November.
Question 1: Fast Track Affordable Housing to Build More Affordable Housing Across the City
This proposal would create a new action at the Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA), and establish a streamlined public review procedure for housing applications.
Question 2: Simplify Review of Modest Housing and Infrastructure Projects
This proposal would create a new Expedited Land Use Review Procedure (ELURP) process, instead of the current Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP).
Question 3: Establish an Affordable Housing Appeals Board with Council, Borough, and Citywide Representation
This proposal would create a new Affordable Housing Appeals Board to replace the mayor’s veto at the end of the ULURP process and have the ability to reverse City Council decisions about certain land use matters. It would be made up of a borough president, the Sspeaker of the City Council, and the mayor.
Question 4: Create a Digital City Map to Modernize City Operations
This proposal would consolidate the official City Map, which plays a little-known but critical role in the approval of housing and infrastructure projects, into a single map and digitize it. Today, the City Map consists of five sets of maps, one for each borough, totaling more than 8,000 individual paper maps.
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and councilmembers pushed back against the first four proposals, asserting that they were examples of the mayor’s attempt to expand his power over land use decisions. “This commission’s misguided proposals would undermine the ability to deliver more affordable housing, homeownership opportunities, good-paying union jobs, and neighborhood investments for New Yorkers across the five boroughs,” they said in a joint statement.
The fifth ballot proposal would move city elections to even-numbered years when presidential elections are held, also called a “jungle primary” system, in an effort to increase voter turnout. However, it was the only adopted proposal that the commission would not move forward with, according to NYC Charter Revision Chair Richard Buery.
The decision to drop the last proposal was celebrated by grassroots organizations like Citizen Action of New York.
In addition, the state Senate passed a bill in June 2025 that would protect ballot access for charter revision proposals advanced by New Yorkers or local elected officials from being blocked by mayoral-enacted charter revision commissions, and increase transparency requirements for commissions.