On March 20, 2024, the City Planning Commission formally adopted the Green Fast Track for Housing rule changes to reduce the burden of environmental review on new housing developments by shortening approval times and reducing costs for new housing projects. The plan is part of Mayor Adams’ “Get Stuff Built” initiative.
Under the new rules, projects with 250 or fewer new dwelling units (175 or fewer in low density areas) and meet certain other criteria will be exempt from lengthy environmental review. The new rules will apply to any projects that require discretionary approvals from the City Planning Commission, HPD, or the Board of Standards and Appeals.
The new rules are the result of a study by the Department of City Planning of over one thousand recent housing projects subject to environmental review. The study found that the environmental review process typically adds two years and $100,000 in costs to new housing development, but rarely results in the discovery of significant environmental impacts or changes to projects.
Importantly, these projects may still be subject to ULURP or other public review requirements. In those cases, developers may still want or need to engage consultants to study issues like traffic and parking, but may still be able to avoid months if not years of delays.
To find out more about this program or to see if your project could be eligible, please contact your trusted R&E attorney or Frank E. Chaney and David J. Rosenberg, Counsel with the firm’s Land Use and Zoning Department, who authored this alert.