The Ballot Explained
Come election day, New Yorkers get to vote not only for candidates, but often also on ballot questions that can change how our city government works. This year, Ballot Questions 2 through 4 might sound like they’re about speeding up housing approvals. But in reality, they’re about who holds the power to decide what gets built and where.
Let’s start with what these questions do not do. They don’t make the approval process dramatically faster. Any time saved would be just a few weeks on projects that usually take years or even decades to build. The real impact isn’t about timing, it’s about shifting control. These proposals would give much more power to the Mayor while reducing the role of the City Council in deciding major land-use changes, and therefore reducing the voice of the public.
You might hear that these changes are only about affordable housing. That’s not true. Only one small part of one question applies to fully affordable housing. Most of the rest would affect all types of development—including luxury housing, corporate offices, hotels, and shopping centers.
And these aren’t small projects. Questions 2 and 4 apply to neighborhood-wide rezonings that can reshape dozens of blocks, while Question 3 lets developers increase the size of their buildings by up to 30 percent. That could mean turning a 50-story tower into a 65-story one or adding hundreds of high-priced condos.
So would these changes lead to more affordable housing? Not necessarily. The City Council often negotiates for more and deeper affordability, or adds measures to support local infrastructure and prevent displacement. Removing that oversight could mean less accountability, and fewer guarantees that truly affordable homes get built.
Some argue these decisions would still go through other bodies like the City Planning Commission or the Board of Standards and Appeals. But most members of those boards are appointed by the Mayor, which means the Mayor would effectively have final say.
The Mayor’s office says this will help neighborhoods that have resisted affordable housing. But that’s misleading. Many of the areas labeled as “not building enough” have already approved rezonings that the Mayor’s office promised would deliver affordable housing and those promises largely went unfulfilled.
Finally, remember this: these ballot questions don’t just apply to our current Mayor. They would permanently change the City Charter and give future mayors even more unilateral control over land use and development in New York City.
If you believe in checks and balances, and that both the Mayor and City Council should have a say in shaping the city’s future, it’s important to understand what a “yes” or “no” vote really means on these questions.
To learn more about the ballot questions and what they would do, go to our webpage or read our FAQ page.
Join this webinar with Village Preservation Executive Director Andrew Berman, who’ll break down what these measures would do and why all New Yorkers should oppose them, as well as what you can do to help. Q & A will follow.
Date: Wednesday, October 15, 2025
Time: 6:00 pm
Details:
Zoom Webinar
Pre-registration required
Free