Keep local control in local hands

To the editor,

As longtime members of the northwest Bronx community who have spent decades working for the betterment of our neighborhoods, we write to express deep concern over the misinformation being circulated by the Mayor’s Charter Revision Commission about three resolutions appearing on this November’s ballot.

While we know that Bronx Community Board 8, our elected officials, and others share our commitment to affordable housing, we believe that ballot proposals 2 through 4 pose serious risks to the health and well-being of our communities. Here are just some of the reasons why:

1.
Although the Charter Revision Commission held public hearings, these proposals are extremely complex and full of potential unintended consequences. The language presented to voters oversimplifies them, leading to misleading assumptions — including that the city could achieve a specific number of affordable units or that “affordable” has a clear, fixed meaning.

2.
If adopted, the proposals would give real estate developers, the mayor, the City Planning Commission (whose members are mostly mayoral appointees), and the Board of Standards and Appeals (entirely appointed by the mayor) broad authority to decide where, when and how new “small” developments are built.

3.
There are no guarantees for how many apartments in new developments would be designated as affordable, nor for how long they would remain affordable before converting to market rate.

4.
Nothing in the proposals prevents developers from segregating “affordable” units into separate areas or entrances, creating a “two-tier” housing environment.

5.
The term “affordable” is never clearly defined. Developers often use the area median income (AMI) scale loosely, which means many of these apartments target middle-income households, not the working-class and low-income families most in need.

6.
So-called affordable apartments can rent for more than $3,000 a month. With only small set-asides required, developers could continue reshaping neighborhoods without adding meaningful numbers of truly affordable homes.

7.
The proposals would effectively remove meaningful input from community boards, borough presidents and the City Council. Unelected bureaucrats, the mayor and profit-driven developers would have near-total control over neighborhood planning, leaving residents and their representatives without a voice.

8.
Developers would be allowed to rely on their own environmental impact statements rather than independent, third-party environmental reviews.

9.
If developers avoid building in a particular community for five years, that neighborhood would be placed on a “naughty list,” giving the Department of City Planning final authority over new projects — bypassing both residents and the City Council.

10.
By weakening the City Council’s role, these proposals would effectively dismantle Uniform Land Use Review Procedure and override Special Natural Area District protections. Both have been vital tools allowing communities, community boards and elected officials to shape local development. Without these processes, there would be no meaningful community input going forward.

Replacing private homes and small multifamily dwellings with large, developer-built market-rate apartment complexes would shatter the American dream of homeownership — whether through a private house, co-op or condo. Proposals 2 through 4 would erode quality of life, remove private homes and destroy the unique character of our neighborhoods.

In sum, none of these amendments guarantee that any significant share of New Yorkers struggling with homelessness or poverty will benefit. They would transfer responsibility for housing review and approval from the City Council to the mayor’s office, consolidating all power over development in a single branch of government.

We urge our fellow New Yorkers to reject ballot proposals 2 through 4 to preserve local representation and protect the future of our communities.

Signed,

Bob Bender, Steve Froot, David Gellman, Steve Matthews, Charles Moerdler, Dan Rowen, Jessica Sosa, Laura Spalter, Martin Wolpoff