VICTORY! State Legislative Session Ends Without Repeal of Cap on NYC Residential Building Sizes No ‘Supersizing’ this Year

Dear Friend, I wanted to let you know that the legislative session in Albany has ended, and in spite of the best efforts of the real estate industry and the Mayor, the legislature did NOT repeal the existing limit on the size of residential buildings in New York City. Both had sought this repeal which would have allowed massive upzonings in residential neighborhoods across our city, vastly increasing the size of allowable development. The current cap, which is incredibly generous, still allows new buildings of 1,000 feet in height or even greater.  But for the advocates of repeal, even this was not enough.   Thank you to the thousands of you who answered the call and sent letters to State legislators opposing this move. Repeal proponents tried to slip it into the state budget earlier this year, and then again to pass it as part of the ‘Big Ugly’ rush of last-minute bills at the end of session. But due to your advocacy, and the hard work of our allies, this did not happen.   We have won the battle, but the war is not over.  Proponents of repeal have made clear they will continue the fight next year, and we believe them.  And they will continue to peddle false narratives that removing the cap and enabling massive upzonings in our residential neighborhoods is the only or best way to address our city’s affordability crisis.  But we know this is false.

Thank you again for answering the call fighting for sane development and to defend the livability and scale of our neighborhoods.