October 24, 2025
Beyond the Top-Ticket: Ballot Proposals
Beyond the mayor’s race, New Yorkers will vote on six ballot proposals on November 4th — one state constitutional amendment and five city charter amendments:
Proposal #1: Amendment to Allow Olympic Sports Complex In Essex County on State Forest Preserve Land
- What it says: Allows skiing and related trail facilities on state forest preserve land. The site is 1,039 acres. Requires State to add 2,500 acres of new forest land in Adirondack Park.
- Background: The Mount Van Hoevenberg complex in Lake Placid is a state-owned facility managed by the Olympic Regional Development Authority, which hosted events for the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics and other international competitions. A portion of the complex sits on 323 acres of state forest preserve land protected under Article 14 of the New York State Constitution, which requires it to be “forever kept wild.” Due to this provision, past efforts to expand the facility have resulted in decades of legal disputes. In exchange for the construction of new trails, the State would be required to add 2,500 acres of new forest land to the Adirondack Park. Proposal #1 is a statewide ballot proposal because it requires a change to the New York State Constitution.
Proposal #2: Fast Track Affordable Housing to Build More Affordable Housing Across the City
- What it says: Fast track publicly financed affordable housing. Fast track applications delivering affordable housing in the community districts that produce the least affordable housing, significantly reducing review time. Maintain Community Board review.
- Background: The Uniform Land Use Review Procedure guides many affordable housing developments in New York City and can take up to seven months to complete. Proposal #2 would introduce two mechanisms to expedite this process. First, it would create a “Fast Track Zoning Action” that allows publicly financed affordable housing projects to gain approval from the Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) after a 60-day review by the local community board and a 30-day review by the BSA. Second, it would create a Fast Track for projects under the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program, targeting the twelve community districts with the lowest rates of affordable housing. In this process, the community board’s review runs concurrently with the borough president’s and City Planning Commission’s review, with the City Planning Commission casting the final vote. City council would be removed from both approval processes.
Proposal #3: Simplify Review of Modest Housing and Infrastructure Projects
- What it says: Simplify review of modest amounts of additional housing and minor infrastructure projects, significantly reducing review time. Maintain Community Board review, with final decision by the City Planning Commission.
- Background: Most land projects are subject to the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, which is seven months long. Proposal #3 creates an Expedited Land Use Review Procedure for small-scale changes to speed up projects involving the purchase or sale of city-owned property for affordable housing and flood resiliency. This process would include a 60-day review period for the local Community Board and local Borough President, followed by a 30-day review by the City Planning Commission and a public healing for a final decision on the project’s approval. In sum, the timeline would be 90 days, down from the usual seven-month process.
Proposal #4: Proposed Charter Amendment: Establish an Affordable Housing Appeals Board with Council, Borough, and Citywide Representation
- What it says: Establish an Affordable Housing Appeals Board with the Council Speaker, local Borough President, and Mayor to review Council actions that reject or change applications creating affordable housing.
- Background: Most land projects are subject to the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, which is seven months long and requires a final City Council vote. The Mayor has the authority to veto the City Council decision, but the City Council can overturn the Mayor’s decision. Proposal #4 would remove the Mayor’s veto power and replace it with an Appeals Board for affordable housing developments. The board would consist of the City Council speaker, local borough president, and the Mayor. Projects would pass if they receive two thirds majority.
Proposal #5: Create a Digital City Map to Modernize City Operation
- What it says: Consolidate borough map office and address assignment functions, and create one digital City Map at the Department of City Planning. Today, the City Map consists of paper maps across five offices.
- Background: The City Map is managed by the Topographical Bureau in each of the five Borough Presidents’ offices. The official City Map currently consists of 8,000 paper maps. The proposal would consolidate the paper maps into one digitized map.
Proposal #6: Move Local Elections to Presidential Election Years to Increase Voter Participation
- What it says: Move the City’s primary and general election dates so that City elections are held in the same year as Federal Presidential elections, when permitted by state law.
- Background: City elections are held on odd numbered years and federal elections are held on even numbered years. Proposal #6 would align the local election schedule with federal presidential election years, so that elections for Mayor, Public Advocate, Comptroller, Borough President and City Council occur in the same year as federal presidential elections. A change to New York State law would also be required for enactment.
Other contests on the ballot include Public Advocate and Comptroller, along with borough-specific races for Borough President, judges, City Council Member, and in some boroughs, District Attorney. Go to WhosOntheBallot to see who is running in your district.
Sources:
https://www.nycvotes.org/
https://www.thecity.nyc/2025/