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Page 24 - The Indian EYE 052226
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    NORTH AMERICAN Newsline                                                   MAY 22, 2026     |  The Indian Eye 24

                        Mamdani Administration Unveils

                “SPEED” Reforms to Slash Affordable

                 Housing Timelines by Up to Two Years

            OUR BUREAU
            NEW YORK, NY
                     ayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, alongside
                     Deputy  Mayors  Leila  Bozorg  and  Julia
            MKerson,  have  released  the  Streamlining
            Procedures  to  Expedite  Equitable  Development
            (SPEED) report, a sweeping package of reforms
            designed  to  accelerate  the  delivery  of  affordable
            housing across New York City by cutting bureau-
            cratic  delays  across  every  stage  of  development.
                The  initiative  targets  environmental  review,
            permitting,  construction  approvals,  and  housing
            lottery  lease-up  processes,  with  officials  project-
            ing reductions of up to eight months for standard
            affordable  housing  projects  and  as  much  as  two
            years for developments requiring zoning changes.
            The administration says the reforms are intended
            to  address  long-standing  procedural  bottlenecks
            that have slowed housing production in one of the
            world’s most expensive cities.               Sideya  Sherman  said  reducing  pre-certification   through executive authority.
               “These delays are not inevitable. They are the   timelines will allow projects to move from planning   Additional housing initiatives — including the
            result of broken systems and a failure of political   to construction more efficiently while maintaining  Expedited Land Use Review Procedure (ELURP)
            will,” Mayor Mamdani said. “New Yorkers cannot  rigorous review standards.                 and  the  Neighborhood  Builders  Fast  Track  pro-
            afford to wait years for affordable housing while   Housing Preservation and Development Com- gram — complement SPEED and are expected to
            projects  sit  trapped  in  bureaucracy.  SPEED  is   missioner  Dina  Levy  said  the  reforms  will  also   further reduce pre-development timelines by more
            about making government deliver — faster, fairer  transform the city’s Housing Connect lottery sys- than two years when combined.
            and at the scale this crisis demands.”       tem,  cutting  application-to-approval  times  to  un-  City  officials  also  highlighted  agency-specific
                Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning Lei- der 100 days. “Together with permitting and devel- reforms. Transportation Commissioner Mike Fly-
            la Bozorg said the reforms are designed to match   opment changes, we’re cutting eight months off the   nn said environmental review processes must be
            urgency  with  execution.  “We  will  cut  months  or  timeline from inception to move-in day,” she said.  updated to reflect modern urban mobility needs,
            even years off the affordable housing development   Buildings  Commissioner  Ahmed  Tigani  de- while Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura not-
            timeline — months that New Yorkers can spend in   scribed  the  initiative  as  a  “comprehensive  blue- ed improvements in coordination for projects in-
            permanent housing instead of instability,” she said,  print”  to  unlock  faster  and  safer  housing  con- volving green space and tree management.
            crediting the SPEED Task Force and interagency   struction, while emphasizing that New York must   City  Comptroller  Mark  Levine  called  the
            collaboration.                               remain competitive for developers seeking to build   reforms  a  necessary  step  in  addressing  the  city’s
                Deputy  Mayor  for  Operations  Julia  Kerson   in the city.                           housing shortage, noting that SPEED aligns with
            said the initiative reflects a broader effort to mod-  The  reforms  also  include  a  full  overhaul  of  broader  financing  and  charter  reforms  aimed  at
            ernize  city  government.  “Whether  overhauling  the lease-up process. The administration aims to   increasing supply.
            permitting  through  SPEED  or  pursuing  Alterna- reduce the time between construction completion   Support from local leaders was broad. Queens
            tive  Delivery  contracting,  we’re  slashing  project  and tenant move-in from 210 days to under 100  Borough  President  Donovan  Richards  Jr.  said
            timelines in half,” she said, adding that faster de- days, addressing what officials described as a criti-  speeding  up  housing  delivery  is  essential  to  ad-
            livery would translate directly into more housing   cal but often overlooked stage of housing delivery.  dressing affordability across all income levels. City
            access across all five boroughs.                 Department of Social Services Commissioner  Council  Majority  Leader  Shaun  Abreu  said  the
                Under the plan, the administration will over- Erin  Dalton  said  the  initiative  reduces  adminis- initiative would help families access housing faster,
            haul four key stages of housing development: envi- trative  burden  while  prioritizing  vulnerable  New  while Council Member Justin E. Sanchez said the
            ronmental review and planning, pre-development  Yorkers. “We are cutting red tape and expediting  reforms remove unnecessary bureaucratic barriers
            and financing, permitting and approvals, and mar-  connections to deeply affordable housing,” she said.  that have slowed development for years.
            keting and lease-up. A central reform reduces the   The SPEED report was developed by a task   Housing policy experts and advocacy groups
            “pre-certification”  phase  for  zoning-related  proj- force  established  on  Mayor  Mamdani’s  first  day  also welcomed the changes. Pascale Leone of the
            ects from roughly two years to six months, while   in office. The group held consultations with more   Supportive  Housing  Network  of  New  York  said
            permitting timelines for new construction and of- than  100  industry  experts  and  stakeholders  and   the recommendations reflect extensive stakehold-
            fice-to-residential conversions will be shortened by  reviewed  over  500  recommendations  from  devel- er engagement and will help accelerate supportive
            about five months.                           opers, advocates, and trade organizations. Officials   housing delivery. Annemarie Gray of Open New
                The  Department  of  City  Planning  said  the   emphasized  that  the  reforms  do  not  require  leg- York said reducing delays at every stage of develop-
            changes  modernize  outdated  processes.  Director  islative approval and can be implemented directly  ment is critical to addressing the scale of the crisis.

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