In some positive news, housing — both in terms of abundance and affordability — was on the minds of leaders across the country this past week. The usual suspects on the coast continued their ongoing conversations about removing regulations to build more houses, more quickly, while states in the middle of the country introduced new approaches to homelessness.
New York is saying “yes”
A new political action committee called Yes on Affordable Housing, led by Democratic strategist Amit Singh Bagga, plans to spend $3 million to support ballot measures that would make it easier to build housing in New York City in a challenge to the City Council’s power over development decisions. The proposed measures, created by a commission appointed by Mayor Eric Adams, aim to shift approval authority from the council to the city planning commission and create new paths for fast-tracking and appealing housing projects. The council strongly opposes the measures, calling them a power grab that could harm communities of color. Adrienne Adams, the council speaker, said that they “attempt to mislead voters by hiding their real impact of eliminating the public’s power over land use decisions that allow new development.” Supporters, including former Governor Andrew Cuomo and City Comptroller Brad Lander, argue the changes are essential to addressing the city’s severe housing shortage.
The measures are so unpopular among City Council members that late last month, they asked the Board of Elections to keep the measures off the November ballot. But the Board of Elections on Tuesday voted to include them.
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