Overview
- Voters elected Zohran Mamdani on a rent‑freeze pledge and approved measures to fast‑track 100% affordable projects, accelerate modestly larger apartment and condo proposals, create a developer appeals panel, and digitize official maps.
- Projects commonly spend more than two years in zoning review, which can add 11% to 16% to development costs, according to the Citizens Budget Commission.
- A LISC NY, National Equity Fund, and Enterprise analysis reports operating costs for affordable housing up nearly 40% since 2017, including insurance up more than 110%, administrative expenses up over 50%, and repairs and maintenance up 35%.
- The same analysis found rent collection fell from 94.2% in 2019 to 90.6% in 2024, with 57% of buildings running negative cash flow, raising risks to building conditions and the financial health of nonprofit owners.
- A Community Preservation Corporation review of 14,500 rent‑stabilized units shows per‑unit expenses up 22% from 2020 to 2023, underscoring warnings that any rent freeze should be paired with tools to offset rising costs across a stock that makes up about 44% of city rentals.