The city-owned vacant lot at 784-800 Myrtle Avenue in Bed-Stuy will be fast-tracked for affordable housing. Streetview © Google
New York City is launching another program aimed at speeding up the development of affordable housing across the five boroughs. Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday launched the Neighborhood Builders Fast Track, which will include a roster of prequalified developers to be selected for projects on city-owned land, shortening the time it takes before construction can begin by eight months. The new initiative joins the Expedited Land Use Review Procedure (ELURP), which the city rolled out last month, in helping build more homes more quickly.
The Neighborhood Builders Fast Track prequalifies affordable housing developers, essentially creating a list of qualified builders that can then be chosen by the city. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeking developers for the program, with a focus on nonprofit groups and minority- and women-owned businesses. The RFQs are due May 8.
The city also announced the first three sites to be developed under Neighborhood Fast Track: 784-800 Myrtle Avenue in Bed-Stuy, 1337 Jerome Avenue in Mount Eden, and 109-43 Farmers Boulevard in Jamaica. The projects are expected to deliver 300 new affordable apartments, including 100 affordable homeownership units at the Bronx and Queens sites.
Neighborhood Builders Fast Track could advance as many as 1,000 new homes on city-owned land over the next two years.
“Our city is facing a historic housing crisis–the last thing we need to do is tie ourselves in red tape,” Mamdani said. “The Neighborhood Builders Fast Track will speed up housing development and make it faster to build on city-owned land. This administration is willing to move at the speed of need to make this a city New Yorkers can continue to call home.”
Last month, the city announced that the first project to go through the expedited review process is an affordable housing development in Mott Haven. Located at 351 Powers Avenue, the Powerhouse Apartments will turn an empty city-owned lot into more than 80 affordable apartments, a community theater, and public green space.
The new ELURP was approved by New Yorkers last November as part of a series of housing ballot measures. Under ELURP, certain projects can be reviewed in just 90 days, compared to the typical seven-month-long uniform land use review procedure (ULURP).
For projects not on city property, there’s a 60-day review by the local community board and borough president and a 30-day review and final decision by the City Planning Commission. For developments on city-owned land, the City Council still gets a one-month review and a vote.
Together, ELURP and the Neighborhood Builders Fast Track could reduce the time it takes to complete the pre-development process by more than two years.
“New York City needs more affordable housing, built faster and at lower cost — and HPD is not waiting to deliver it,” Dina Levy, Housing and Preservation Commissioner, said.
“The Neighborhood Builders Fast Track will reduce costs, speed up timelines, and maximize affordability. Public land is a public good — and we will not let city-owned sites sit idle while New Yorkers struggle to find an affordable home.”
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