CBC calls rezoning process an ‘impediment to progress’ – POLITICO

The slow pace of rezoning is dragging out construction in New York, a new report finds. | Torbakhopper

Rezoning proposals often get the most attention once they reach the roughly seven-month public review process that culminates in a City Council vote. But navigating the entire decision-making regime takes significantly longer than that and sets New York apart from several peer cities that approve land use proposals on a much shorter timeline, according to a new Citizens Budget Commission report.

The median discretionary land use application filed in New York between 2014 and 2017 took 2.5 years to obtain final approvals, with pre-certification and environmental review taking up the majority of that time, CBC found. The citys approval process was two to three times as long as the process in cities with similar requirements like Boston and Los Angeles, and it was behind only infamously development-averse San Francisco.

Making necessary zoning changes has become increasingly difficult due to a lengthy and unpredictable process that makes it more expensive to build and is ultimately slowing down growth, CBC argues.

Too often, the land use decision-making process through which the city reviews and approves changes has been an impediment to progress, restricting the citys ability to spur job growth, develop housing, and become more resilient and sustainable, the report says. This is one reason why New York produces less housing per capita than most other large cities, even those with more onerous planning and public review processes.

The report proposes a series of fixes, including changes at the state and city level that would make the environmental review process less time consuming. CBC also floats mechanisms that would make the political aspects of the land use process like the Councils member deference practice easier to navigate and predict.

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CBC calls rezoning process an 'impediment to progress' - POLITICO