Mayor Adams’ Plan to “BLAST” The ULURP Process

Mayor Eric Adams directed a commission to create a blueprint that would allow development projects to happen faster and cost less.  The NYC Economic Development and Housing committee, a known entity that creates opportunities for the use of public assets to assist the real estate industry in the creation of projects to make money, working with Citizens Budget Commission (CBC) a nonprofit organization organized a report to address Adams’ agenda.  They made recommendations for changes in both the law and City and State policies regarding applications for development requiring rezonings. Their main justification for such changes is to allow developers to build faster and cheaper development projects that are subject to review and to allow more projects to be “as of right” that requires no review at all.

Below are the Commission’s suggested changes, to the land use process.

1. No more court cases brought against developers.
2. The Community Board’s review should be removed from the ULURP process. Only the Borough President should review rezoning proposals.
3. The Community review instead should take place during the pre-certification process and not after a project has been certified by the City Planning Commission and begins the ULURP process.
4. The Environmental Review Process, Environmental Impact Statement and/or Environmental Assessment Statement, does not have to be completed until the end of ULURP.

5. A complete removal of the Environmental Review Process

6. The Commission proposes that all development projects that are built next to transit, are district wide rezonings, include some type of affordable housing, are “small lots” division, and multifamily projects be deemed “as of right”. The only environmental reviews required would be for projects that are sensitive to wetland and greenfield sites.
7. Instead of focusing on environmental concerns and their impact upon a community’s land, air and water, the focus should be on negative consequences vs. benefits.

8. The State should reduce the number of environmental impact categories.
9. The City Council Deference for projects should be removed and not adhered to.
10. The City Council would need to have a Super Majority, not just a majority to overrule the City Planning Commission’s recommendation on a project.
11. When the City Council disapproves a project, immediately an alternative group of decision makers would convene with the power to overturn the City Council’s vote. The group would consist of the Mayor, Public Advocate, Borough President and Council Speaker.
12. Streamline the Environmental Process by not interacting with other government agencies that specialize in a particular environmental impact concern.  Instead, have one agency  – i.e. the City Planning Commission – conduct  all of the environmental impact analyses.