New York, New York, Question 4, Affordable Housing Appeals Board Charter Amendment (November 2025)

New York Question 4
Election date November 4, 2025
Topic City governance and Local charter amendments
Status On the ballot
Type Referral

New York Question 4 is on the ballot as a referral in New York on November 4, 2025.

A "yes" vote supports creating an Affordable Housing Appeals Board, consisting of the Borough President, Speaker of the City Council, and Mayor, which would have the power to review and reverse decisions by the city council that disapprove and modify land-use applications that directly facilitate the creation of affordable housing.

A "no" vote opposes creating an Affordable Housing Appeals Board, consisting of the Borough President, Speaker of the City Council, and Mayor, which would have the power to review and reverse decisions by the city council that disapprove and modify land-use applications that directly facilitate the creation of affordable housing.

A simple majority is required to approve the measure.

Election results

New York Question 4
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		0	0.00%
No		0	0.00%

Overview

What is the Affordable Housing Appeals Board that this amendment would create?

The amendment would change the city’s land use review process (ULURP) for affordable housing projects by replacing the mayor’s veto authority with a new Affordable Housing Appeals Board. The Board would be composed of three elected officials — the mayor, the speaker of the City Council, and the borough president of the borough where the project is located. Any decision by the Board would require at least two of the three members to agree.

The board could review City Council decisions on land use applications that directly facilitate affordable housing, such as projects subject to the city’s Mandatory Inclusionary Housing policy. It would only apply to applications within a single borough, not to citywide changes or projects spanning multiple boroughs. The Board could reverse a Council disapproval or undo modifications to restore a proposal to the form previously approved by the City Planning Commission. It could not create new modifications. If the Board does not act within required deadlines, the Council’s decision would remain in place.

Measure design

Click on the following sections for summaries of the different provisions of the ballot measure.

Expand All

Create an Affordable Housing Appeals Board

The amendment would establish an Affordable Housing Appeals Board. Under the amendment, the Board would consist of three elected officials (or their designees):

• the Mayor,
• the Speaker of the City Council, and
• the Borough President of the affected borough.

The Board would have the authority to review certain City Council actions on land use applications related to affordable housing. A Board decision would require the agreement of at least two of the three members. Meetings must be public, with at least five days’ public notice. The Board would be required to take final action within 15 days of a review request.

Eliminate mayoral veto power in ULURP for affordable housing projects

Currently, under Section 197-d of the City Charter, the Mayor may issue a written disapproval of certain land use approvals, which the Council can override by a two-thirds vote. The amendment would remove the Mayor’s veto authority in land use applications that directly facilitate affordable housing development. In such cases, the Appeals Board would serve as the check on City Council actions.

Scope of cases subject to Board review

Under the amendment, the new board could only review City Council actions that meet the following criteria:

• The Council acted under Section 197-d(c) of the City Charter.
• The Council disapproved, or approved with modifications, an application that would directly facilitate affordable housing development. This includes actions applying Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) or equivalent programs to specific parcels, and related actions such as permits modifying bulk regulations or parking requirements.
• The application does not involve land located in two or more boroughs, and does not involve an urban renewal plan filed under Section 197-c(a)(8).

Applications affecting more than one borough, or citywide zoning text amendments, would remain under the current review process.

Review procedures and limits on Board power

The Board’s review process would work as follows:

• Within five days of a Council action, either the applicant may appeal or at least two Board members may request review.
• Within 15 days of such request, the Board must hold a public meeting and take final action.

The Board may:

• Approve an application that the Council disapproved; or
• Reverse Council modifications by restoring the application, in relevant part, to the form approved by the City Planning Commission (CPC).

The Board may not:

• Create new modifications; or
• Approve applications with modifications that the CPC finds require additional environmental or land use review.

If the Board fails to act within the required time, the Council’s decision stands.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Question 4 is as follows:

“

Proposed Charter Amendment: Establish an Affordable Housing Appeals Board with Council, Borough, and Citywide Representation 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. “Yes” creates the three-member Affordable Housing Appeals Board to reflect Council, borough, and citywide perspectives. “No” leaves affordable housing subject to the Mayor’s veto and final decision by City Council.

”

Full Text

The full text of this measure is available here.

Support

Supporters

Officials

• Gov. Kathy Hochul (D)

Organizations

• Citizens Budget Commission
• Open New York

Arguments

• New York City Charter Revision Commission: "Question #4 would Establish an Affordable Housing Appeals Board with Council, Borough, and Citywide Representation so that affordable housing that is downsized or rejected has another chance at success in the city’s land use process, and important affordable housing projects are considered by a group with a broad set of perspectives. The Affordable Housing Appeals Board is designed to strike a better balance between local, borough, and citywide voices. The Board would be made up of the Borough President of the affected borough, the Speaker of the City Council, and the Mayor. The Board would have the power to reverse City Council decisions that reject or modify land use applications that create affordable housing—but only if two out of these three democratically elected officials agree. ULURP would otherwise remain the same, from Community Board review through consideration by the Council. The Appeals Board would replace the Mayor’s power to veto applications related to affordable housing."
• Citizens Budget Commission: "Adding an appeals process to ULURP would maintain the important role of the City Council in the land use decision-making process, while encouraging greater balance of citywide needs and neighborhood concerns. The City Council’s tradition of member deference has sometimes resulted in local concerns, especially local resistance to development, overriding citywide need to build more housing for everyone in all neighborhoods. The appeal process might encourage the City Council to bring more projects to a vote rather than allow them to be withdrawn in the face of defeat due to member deference. More projects coming to a vote at the City Council could encourage more applications to come forward, since in some cases, well-considered projects are never proposed due to member deference."
• Gov. Kathy Hochul (D): "Affordability is my number one priority, and that starts with housing. The cost of living is too damn high – especially when it comes to the sky-high rents and mortgages families pay every month. The only solution to New York’s housing crisis is to build more housing, and we must use every tool in the toolbox to get it done. Props 2-5 will help ensure New Yorkers can live, thrive, and raise their families in the city they call home. It’s time to say yes to more homes, lower costs, and a stronger future for New York families."

Opposition

Ballotpedia has not located a campaign in opposition to the ballot measure. You can share campaign information or arguments, along with source links for this information, with us at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for New York ballot measures

Ballotpedia did not identify ballot measure committees registered to support or oppose the ballot measure.

	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Support	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Oppose	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Total	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00

Background

Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP)

New York City's Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) is the formal review process for major land use changes. It was established in the City Charter in 1975 to standardize and democratize how rezonings, site selections, and other significant land-use actions are decided. ULURP governed changes such as large rezonings, dispositions of city-owned land, certain affordable housing developments, and certain infrastructure projects.

Once an application is approved by the Department of City Planning, it would go through a seven-month period of review. First, the Community Board has 60 days to hold a hearing and issue an advisory recommendation. Next, the Borough President has 30 days to advise the decision. The City Planning Commission then has 60 days to vote on whether to approve, modify, or deny the application. If it passes, the City Council has up to 50 days to consider it. The Mayor can veto a Council approval, although the Council may override that veto with a two-thirds vote.

Housing production in New York City

According to the Charter Revision Commission report published in July 2025, 25,000 homes were built in New York City each year, but that this was half of what the city needed. The Commission estimated that "over the next ten years, the city is about 500,000 homes short of a healthy housing market, where costs are stable, families and individuals have options, and the city and its economy have room to grow and change over time." The Commission also noted that the building of housing is uneven, with 12 community districts adding as much housing as 47 combined.

Path to the ballot

This measure was put on the ballot through a vote of the New York City Charter Revision Commission.

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in New York

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How to vote in New York

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Registration

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Registration applications are available at the county board of elections or any agency-based voter registration center. Forms are also available online, or prospective voters can request the form by mail. Completed forms returned by mail must be postmarked at least 25 days prior to the election.

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Automatic registration

New York automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through a number of state agencies including the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Health, the Department of Labor, and others.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

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Same-day registration

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Residency requirements

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Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

New York does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, voter who submits false information "can be convicted and fined up to $5,000 and/or jailed for up to four years."

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Verifying your registration

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Voter ID requirements

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These requirements do not apply if an individual submitted a copy of their identification, their driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number when registering to vote. Voters can present the following forms of identification:

• A current, valid photo ID
• A current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document with the voter's name and address

See also

Local measures

• Local measures in 2025
• Local charter amendments on the ballot

New York

• New York 2025 local measures
• Local ballot measures, New York
• New York, New York

News and analysis

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• Measures advancing national agendas