New York City Launches Fast-Track Affordable Housing Program on City-Owned Land

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has launched a new initiative called the Neighborhood Builders Fast Track, working alongside Deputy Mayor Leila Bozorg and HPD Commissioner Dina Levy. This program, unveiled at a press conference in Bedford-Stuyvesant, aims to tackle the city's severe housing crisis by cutting construction times nearly in half with the Expedited Land Use Review Procedure. The first three sites chosen are in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens, potentially leading to 300 new affordable housing units. HPD is inviting developers, especially from nonprofit and minority- and women-owned sectors, to submit RFQs by May 8. Councilmember Chi Ossé emphasized the significance of the Myrtle Avenue location for Bed-Stuy. The city plans to build up to 1,000 homes in two years and will announce new recommendations this spring from the LIFT and SPEED Task Forces to improve affordable housing development.