Council members from 'fast track' districts press planners on Block by Block

On Wednesday the City Council's Land Use Committee spent most of the afternoon questioning Mayor Zohran Mamdani's planners. The subject was Block by Block, the administration's housing plan. Crain's had previewed the hearing as a test of how city-led rezonings would roll out. The Real Deal reported that many members whose districts are on the new "fast track" list wanted to know what it would mean for them.

The stakes are local. On October 1 the administration named 12 community districts that have added the least affordable housing. They are:

• Brooklyn: Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights; Borough Park and Kensington; Canarsie and Flatlands
• Manhattan: the Upper West Side; the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island
• Queens: Corona and Elmhurst; Ridgewood, Maspeth and Middle Village; South Ozone Park and Howard Beach; Auburndale, Bayside and Douglaston; Queens Village, Bellerose and Rosedale
• Staten Island: Mid-Island and the South Shore

Starting January 1, 2027, eligible affordable housing rezonings in those districts get a 90-day review. That is about four months shorter than standard ULURP. Voters approved the change in November 2025. According to City Limits, qualifying projects there will skip the Council review that has given members an effective veto in their own districts. The administration's release says community boards and borough presidents still review the projects. It quotes the mayor saying the housing crisis won't be solved "by asking the same neighborhoods to do all the building."

What was said, with timestamps

The full recording and transcript are on our meeting page. Witnesses were City Planning Director Sideya Sherman, DCP Executive Director Edith Hsu-Chen and HPD Deputy Commissioner Michael Sandler.

• The chair's framing. Chair Kevin Riley said the goals are bold but the details of how the administration will hit its numbers are missing.
• Outreach. Sherman described briefings for every community board, ongoing trainings, and a public information session on the fast track planned for December.
• 100 Gold Street. Council Member Christopher Marte warned that a proposed R12 zoning text tied to 100 Gold Street could allow unprecedented density across the Special Lower Manhattan District. Minority Leader David Carr agreed. He said 4,000 units there is larger than most neighborhood plans and should come with a full area plan.
• Promises that outlast an administration. Council Member Shanel Thomas-Henry asked for a checklist so that member priorities survive beyond this mayor's term.
• Flooding. Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers raised flooding in the Rosedale area, which is on the list. She said fast-track lines follow community district boundaries, while southeast Queens neighborhoods span districts that have already added housing. Council Member Mercedes Narcisse said her Canarsie-area district floods after every rain and is sinking. She said she sees no infrastructure plan.
• What "affordable" costs. Council Member Julie Won noted that in her district, the 80 percent of area median income rent for two people, $2,243, is higher than market rent.
• The Upper West Side. Council Member Gale Brewer objected to the Upper West Side being on the list. She said conversions aren't counted and no vacant land is available. Riley said afterward that she was clearly frustrated with the process.
• Bay Ridge. Council Member Kayla Santosuosso said Bay Ridge rents, including many rent-stabilized units, are relatively affordable.
• Transit and pipes. Finance Chair Linda Lee described her eastern Queens district as one of two with no subway or rail line. Council Member Phil Wong said his district's power lines and century-old sewers haven't changed in 50 years.

Our summary of the hearing counts 15 Council members who spoke and 23 public witnesses. No vote was taken on the oversight topic.

Votes the same day

Before the hearing, the committee voted 10 to 0 to approve three projects. One was the Convent Avenue homeownership cluster in Harlem. Another was a rezoning at 1455 Coney Island Avenue for a long-term care facility. The third was the 135-27 Sapphire Street rezoning in Queens. The full Council adopted all three on Thursday (Res. 709, Res. 711, Res. 713).

What's next

The fast track starts January 1, 2027. The administration publishes the list every five years, and the next one is due in 2031. The City Planning Commission will gain final say over qualifying projects in those districts. Its five newest nominees went to the Council for review on Thursday (see our story on the nominations).