TODAY, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani launched the City's first Expedited Land Use Review Procedure (ELURP) for 351 Powers Ave., a disposition of City-owned land that would create approximately 84 affordable homes.
The Department of City Planning will also begin the review process for the City to acquire a parcel next to Saw Mill Creek Marsh Park on Staten Island as part of ongoing restoration and conservation efforts.
Approved by voters in November, ELURP offers a streamlined public review process for modest housing and climate resiliency projects. Both reviews will conclude within 90 days, down from roughly seven months under the standard process.
The Mamdani administration has also advanced the Affordable Housing Fast Track, which will accelerate public review for affordable housing proposals in the 12 community districts that produced the least affordable housing over the past five years. The City Planning Commission has proposed a transparent, efficient and accurate methodology to identify those districts and ensure the Fast Track fulfills its mission: making every neighborhood part of the solution to the city's housing crisis.
"Treating the housing crisis with the urgency it demands means moving at the speed of need," said Mayor Mamdani. "The Affordable Housing Fast Track and these first expedited projects are about action. Mott Haven is just the beginning. We are using every tool available to build affordable housing projects faster, so working people can afford to stay in the city they call home."
"Delivering affordable housing more quickly is essential to building a city that New Yorkers can afford. With our first expedited ELURP projects, the forthcoming Affordable Housing Fast Track and other new tools, we're ensuring that every neighborhood contributes to a more vibrant, sustainable, and inclusive New York City," said Leila Bozorg, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning.
"Soon, this parking lot will become more than 80 affordable homes, including approximately 30 apartments for currently homeless New Yorkers as well as new community space," said Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Dina Levy. "Our 351 Powers project is about using public land more responsibly and cutting through unnecessary delays so we can build more affordable housing faster. This is the new era of turning ready to build sites into quality, affordable homes at the speed this housing crisis demands."
"Last year, voters authorized new tools to tackle the housing crisis and we're wasting no time putting them to work. Expedited review for this income-restricted housing proposal will help get shovels in the ground and people into homes faster than ever. And this is only the start - I look forward to seeing many more projects take advantage of last year's reforms to create the housing we need across New York City," said Dan Garodnick, Director of the Department of City Planning and Chair of the City Planning Commission.
"351 Powers Avenue represents an important opportunity to expand housing options for our residents and families in the Bronx. As our city continues to face a housing crisis, it is critical that we invest in deeply affordable, high-quality, and safe housing that reflects the needs of our borough and preserves the character of our community. I want to thank Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the New York City Department of City Planning, and the New York City Housing Preservation and Development for their partnership and commitment to equitable growth," said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. "Addressing our housing crisis requires collaboration at every level of government, and this project demonstrates what we can achieve when we work together to put families first."
By shortening public review from seven months to 90 days, ELURP will speed delivery of new homes at a time of historic housing shortage.
The disposition of the 351 Powers Avenue site in Mott Haven, the Bronx would enable development of approximately 84 new affordable homes for low-income New Yorkers, including 30 for formerly homeless residents, on an undeveloped City-owned lot. Plans also call for a ground-floor workforce development training center, a theater and indoor and outdoor recreational space for residents.
The project advances the priorities of Mayor Mamdani's Land Inventory Fast Track (LIFT) Task Force, created by Executive Order 04, and signed on his first day in office. The task force is charged with identifying City-owned sites capable of supporting at least 25,000 new homes by July 1.
On Staten Island, the proposed site selection and acquisition of land adjacent to Saw Mill Creek Marsh Park would strengthen local restoration and conservation efforts and expand climate resiliency infrastructure.
"We are thrilled to celebrate this important stage, and we look forward to breaking ground and realizing the vision to which so many have contributed," said Anivelca Cordova, Principal at Lemle & Wolff. "We're thankful for our partnership with HELP Development Corp, True Development, HPD, and local key stakeholders and for our shared commitment to strengthening and delivering meaningful, lasting impact within the Mott Haven Community."
"Last November, New Yorkers voted to modernize our land use process to remove unnecessary barriers to building more affordable housing. It's encouraging to see ELURP delivering exactly what voters envisioned - a faster, more predictable review that allows affordable housing and critical resiliency projects to move forward without unnecessary delay. At a time when our housing crisis demands action, this streamlined process helps turn strong proposals into permanently affordable homes for New Yorkers," said Rachel Fee, Executive Director, New York Housing Conference.
"With a 1.4% vacancy rate, New Yorkers can't afford to wait years for new homes to get approved," said Annemarie Gray, Executive Director, Open New York. "In November, voters overwhelmingly voted to fix that, and we're already seeing the results: 80 new affordable homes in the South Bronx, moving through a fast-track process that didn't exist six months ago. We are in a dire housing shortage, and I am thrilled to see the administration act with urgency, embracing these new tools right out of the gate."
