Adams Wants to Rewrite NYC Charter to Boost Housing

Mayor Eric Adams has announced a new commission to review the New York City Charter and recommend ways to rewrite the municipal rulebook to boost housing across the city.

The 2025 Charter Revision Commission (CRC) under chairman Richard Buery, CEO of anti-poverty organization Robin Hood, will be tasked with figuring out how to make city government “more transparent and responsive” and promote “fair housing across the five boroughs,” according to Adams’s announcement Thursday.

“Our housing crisis severely limits where New Yorkers can live, what schools they can attend, how they can get to work, and whether their families can stay together,” Buery said in a statement. “Our task is to examine the charter to see how we can better meet this generational challenge.”

YMCA of Greater New York CEO Sharon Greenberger will serve as the commission’s vice chair, while Leila Bozorg, New York City’s executive director for housing, will serve as secretary.

The 14-member commission also includes members from the real estate and business community, including Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson’s Anita Laremont (a former chair of the City Planning Commission), HR&A Advisors’ Carl Weisbrod and the Partnership for New York City’s Kathryn Wylde.

It seems to be a month of big news for Adams, as his sweeping City of Yes for Housing Opportunity plan was approved by the New York City Council just last week. That legislation is expected to clear a path for roughly 80,000 new housing units over 15 years through a variety of zoning changes, Commercial Observer reported.

And now, Adams’s CRC is expected to boost even more housing as it focuses on how the charter “can combat the city’s generational housing crisis,” according to the announcement. The charter is New York City’s governing legal document and defines municipal powers and procedures.

“Our administration’s housing goal is clear: deliver as much affordable housing to working-class New Yorkers and their families as we make our city more affordable — and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal, including a careful examination of the city’s charter, to create and preserve affordable housing in our city,” Adams said in a statement Thursday.

It’s unclear what specific changes Adams might propose under the new commission, but some council members have suggested the mayor could target the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, the long process required for developments needing a rezoning, Crain’s New York Business reported.

In addition, under the CRC, any plans the City Council had to form its own charter revision committee would be blocked, a move not popular with some elected officials, according to Crain’s.

“It’s unfortunate that they would escalate conflict with the City Council right after we worked together to reach an agreement that helps address New Yorkers’ housing needs,” Councilmember Shirley Limongi told Crain’s.

“Mayor Adams may want to prioritize wealthy corporate interests that have no interest in working-class New Yorkers, but the council will always stand up to defend all the people in our city whose voices we represent,” Limongi added.

Isabelle Durso can be reached at idurso@commercialobserver.com.