Hochul’s push to streamline environmental reviews for housing meets Senate, Assembly counterproposals
Gov. Kathy Hochul is pressing to overhaul New York’s environmental review rules to speed construction of multi‑unit housing, assembling an uncommon alliance of developers and environmentalists even as the state Senate and Assembly float competing alternatives.
Touting her budget proposals at a Long Island event Thursday, Hochul said barriers to building have choked opportunity. Her allies in the effort include Zohran Mamdani, the Real Estate Board of New York and environmentalists. “If there’s a failure of ambition to build more housing, or there are too many barriers in the way, then you do not have the opportunities that you would otherwise have,” she said.
Elizabeth Moran of Earthjustice said the goals are compatible: “We can do both. We can build more housing, and we can protect the environment.” Kate Slevin of the Regional Plan Association added that her group wants growth concentrated in downtowns where people can walkable, active lives.
Under Hochul’s plan, certain projects — including apartment buildings, bike lanes and child care sites — could move faster and at lower cost in more jurisdictions statewide.
Andrew Rein, president of the Citizens Budget Commission, said the governor’s proposal focuses on “modestly sized, multi‑unit housing,” capping streamlined projects at up to 500 units within New York City and up to 100 units outside the city, and only on “previously disturbed or developed” sites rather than greenfields.
Rein said his group’s analysis indicates the reforms could save builders more than $80,000 per unit within the five boroughs. After clearing local zoning, projects on previously disturbed land such as former strip malls or vacant lots could expedite or, in some cases, bypass the State Environmental Quality Review Act process.
Supporters say predictability is as important as speed. Slevin argued the changes would create more reliable timelines, citing projects that ping‑pong for months between local boards. “Everyone deserves a quick decision on a project,” she said. But negotiations in Albany could reshape the outcome.
According to sources, the Senate’s proposal would allow larger projects — up to 1,000 units within the five boroughs or 500 outside the city — yet, Rein said, limit development to fewer areas and restrict nonhousing projects. “They do put some more requirements, environmental requirements and locational requirements, which would reduce the amount of housing and reduce the places that it could be developed,” he said.
A draft Assembly plan reviewed by NY1 would further restrict where housing could be created, add prevailing wage standards and include a 2029 expiration date rather than making changes permanent. Slevin argued the Assembly’s approach would add costs and slow construction, while the governor’s and Senate’s proposals aim to speed projects in appropriate locations.
Asked about the counterproposals, a source familiar with the talks said Hochul wants “the broadest possible package to make it easier and more affordable to build.” Even some environmental advocates backing reform say they want tighter definitions to protect sensitive land and future tenants — a reminder that the details now being negotiated will determine how far and how fast any streamlining goes.