Overview

• Three land-use questions will let voters decide whether the City Council, the Planning Commission, or the Board of Standards and Appeals approves rezonings for apartment buildings.
• Council leaders had pressed to strike the land‑use items, arguing they were unclear and would shift authority to non‑elected appointees.
• The Charter Revision Commission said the decision confirms all five proposed charter changes will go before voters this fall.
• Government watchdog Reinvent Albany warned of legal action if the BOE blocked certified questions, while an Open New York attorney said the board lacked authority to reject them.
• Backers link the measures to efforts to speed housing production beyond the current ULURP process and say the outcome could influence reforms in other cities.