New York City’s City Planning Commission held a public hearing on September 9 to consider Department of City Planning (DCP) rules implementing the expedited land use review procedure (ELRP) and the Affordable Housing Appeals Board (AHAB), clarifying which modest rezonings move through a 90‑day ELRP timeline, which categories instead finish with a 30‑day City Council review, and how appeals for eligible affordable‑housing decisions will be handled. Source: https://youtu.be/VRSDPNhzo-8
# What’s happening
– The City Planning Commission held a public hearing on ELRP and AHAB rulemaking. Source: https://youtu.be/VRSDPNhzo-8
– DCP proposed rules set ELRP timelines and eligibility and AHAB procedures. Source: https://youtu.be/VRSDPNhzo-8
– ELRP has been effective since December 2025 for eligible applications. Source: https://youtu.be/VRSDPNhzo-8
# Why it matters
– Community boards, borough presidents, and local councilmembers face shorter review windows. Source: https://youtu.be/VRSDPNhzo-8
– Faster reviews change when and how neighborhoods can negotiate project changes or infrastructure commitments. Source: https://youtu.be/VRSDPNhzo-8
# Key details
– ELRP shortens many land‑use reviews to 90 days versus roughly 200 days under ULURP. Source: https://youtu.be/VRSDPNhzo-8
– ELRP public review: 60 days concurrent review by the community board and borough president, then a 30‑day final review. Source: https://youtu.be/VRSDPNhzo-8
– Some ELRP cases (e.g., certain city‑owned land dispositions) end with a 30‑day City Council review instead of CPC. Source: https://youtu.be/VRSDPNhzo-8
– The Affordable Housing Appeals Board (AHAB) is composed of the mayor, the City Council speaker, and the affected borough president. Source: https://youtu.be/dJyG2iJmy7I (earlier coverage)
– Under the proposed procedures described by DCP, AHAB has a five‑day window to decide whether to hear an appeal after a council action and a maximum 20‑day review if it accepts the case. Source: https://youtu.be/dJyG2iJmy7I (earlier coverage)
Source: https://youtu.be/VRSDPNhzo-8 and https://youtu.be/dJyG2iJmy7I (earlier coverage)
The City Planning Commission convened on September 9 to receive public testimony and consider proposed rules that would implement the expedited land use review procedure and the Affordable Housing Appeals Board. The hearing followed DCP’s rule text and public outreach on ELRP implementation. Source: https://youtu.be/VRSDPNhzo-8
**Department of City Planning (DCP)**
– Role or jurisdiction: City agency that manages land use review and drafts rules for ELRP and AHAB.
– Action taken or responsibility: Proposed rule text and led the public hearing on ELRP and AHAB procedures.
– Relevant numbers or dates: Presented rulemaking at the Sept. 9 CPC hearing; ELRP effective December 2025. Source: https://youtu.be/VRSDPNhzo-8
**City Planning Commission (CPC)**
– Role or jurisdiction: City body that reviews land‑use applications and adopts procedural rules.
– Action taken or responsibility: Held the Sept. 9 public hearing and will consider final rule adoption after the comment period.
– Relevant numbers or dates: CPC review period for typical ELRP applications is 30 days. Source: https://youtu.be/VRSDPNhzo-8
**Expedited Land Use Review Procedure (ELRP)**
– Role or jurisdiction: Charter‑authorized streamlined review for modest rezonings, affordable housing, resiliency, open space, and solar projects.
– Action taken or responsibility: Compresses many public reviews to a 90‑day timeline with a 60/30 split.
– Relevant numbers or dates: Effective December 2025; eligibility limits include up to a 30% increase in residential floor area in medium/high‑density districts. Source: https://youtu.be/VRSDPNhzo-8
The proposed rules clarify eligibility tests and procedural steps for applications proceeding under ELRP. DCP staff told the commission that the rules largely mirror existing Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) operational components but apply the shorter ELRP time frames and ELRP‑specific eligibility criteria. Source: https://youtu.be/VRSDPNhzo-8
The rules define when an ELRP application ends with the City Planning Commission and when the final 30‑day review instead goes to the City Council. DCP explained that a small category of ELRP actions—such as certain dispositions of city‑owned land or transactions required by state law—keep the 90‑day public review but substitute the City Council for the CPC in the final review period. Source: https://youtu.be/VRSDPNhzo-8
**Council Member Christopher Marte**
– Role or jurisdiction: City Council member representing Manhattan District 1.
– Action taken or responsibility: Testified at the Sept. 9 hearing opposing the rule changes.
– Relevant numbers or dates: Testified during CPC’s Sept. 9 public meeting. Source: https://youtu.be/VRSDPNhzo-8
Council Member Christopher Marte told the commission he opposes the ELRP rule set because it reduces the City Council’s role in land‑use decisions and limits the council’s ability to negotiate community benefits. He called the change an erosion of the public review process and urged commissioners to scrutinize the rules. Source: https://youtu.be/VRSDPNhzo-8
Community Board 9 testified that local feedback must be considered and that ELRP should not override community planning goals except where citywide policy already mandates faster action. The board asked CPC to issue clear written guidelines to ensure consistency with affordability goals and local zoning frameworks. Source: https://youtu.be/VRSDPNhzo-8
Public commenters raised specific drafting concerns in the proposed rules. Speakers said the rules do not define “primary purpose” for fast‑track affordable housing tests, that a 30% increase rule could be applied piecemeal without an aggregate cap, and that DCP’s director would have broad interpretive authority without a required public index of decisions. Source: https://youtu.be/VRSDPNhzo-8
In earlier DCP presentations (external to the Sept. 9 meeting), staff outlined AHAB procedures in more detail. Those presentations said AHAB would be made up of the mayor, the City Council speaker, and the affected borough president; that the board and applicants must be notified as soon as practicable and no later than one day after an eligible council action; that applicants have five days to request review; and that AHAB has up to 20 days to complete review if it accepts the appeal. These items were presented by DCP prior to the Sept. 9 hearing. Source: https://youtu.be/dJyG2iJmy7I (earlier coverage)
DCP staff told the commission that ELRP excludes projects requiring a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), except for a limited fast‑track affordable‑housing category that may receive an extended 45‑day CPC review when an EIS is required. DCP emphasized that projects with potentially significant environmental impacts should proceed under ULURP for more extensive public review. Source: https://youtu.be/VRSDPNhzo-8
DCP described next steps in the rulemaking: the proposed rules were published in the City Record to start the public comment period; DCP will accept written comments via the city rules portal and at public hearings; CPC will consider comments and vote on final rules; and adopted rules will be published in the City Record. DCP invited written comments to planningrules@planning.nyc.gov. Source: https://youtu.be/VRSDPNhzo-8
ELRP has been in effect since December 2025 and the commission has already considered applications under ELRP, while some ELRP applications that require council review have proceeded to the City Council under the substituted final review. The Sept. 9 hearing is part of DCP’s effort to codify procedures and standards so participants know which applications are eligible and how the shortened timelines will operate. Source: https://youtu.be/VRSDPNhzo-8
For the Sept. 9 CPC hearing materials and calendar entry, see the Department of City Planning meeting page. Source: https://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/dcp/assets/files/pdf/about/commission/public-meetings/2026-09-09cal.pdf and https://youtu.be/VRSDPNhzo-8
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