Amd §20, Gen City L; amd §7-700, Vil L; amd §261, Town L
Limits the authority of cities, villages and towns to impose certain zoning regulations, ordinances, or local laws which would have the effect of reducing the number or density of allowable housing units in the area subject to the regulations, ordinances, or local laws.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A8834
SPONSOR: Bores TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the general city law, the village law and the town law,
in relation to reforming exclusionary zoning ordinances
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To prevent cities, towns, and villages from enacting zoning laws which
reduce the number of allowed housing units. This bill creates protection
for New York's existing housing capacity.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one: short title
Section two: Prevents any city under the General City Law from creating
or adopting zoning ordinances that would lower the number of housing
units within its affected area.
Section three: Prevents any villages and smaller incorporated munici-
palities from creating or adopting zoning ordinances that would lower
the number of housing units within its affected area.
Section four: Prevents any towns from creating or adopting zoning ordi-
nances that would lower the number of housing units within its affected
area.
Section five: Effective 180 days after enactment, granting munici-
palities time to review its code and revise rule conflicts with new
state standards.
JUSTIFICATION:
New York's housing crisis is driven by the simple fact that since 2010,
the state has added over 1.2 million new residents but only 400,000 new
housing units. This stark difference has raised rents and led to home
pricing records (NY Housing Compact), preventing families from coming to
New York and forcing out educators, government workers, and other essen-
tial workers who make our city run.
Even though housing costs are the number one reason people are leaving
New York, we continue to see a rise in local down-zoning: zoning changes
that reduce the number of homes allowed in a city, town, or village
(EaI). This recent trend of policies that reduce the number of allowed
housing units doesn't damage neighborhoods. These reductions raise
costs, limit opportunity, and lead to more illegal and unsafe housing.
The REZO-NY Act directly addresses this issue. This bill prohibits
cities, towns, and villages from adopting new zoning laws that lower the
number of housing units. However, what this bill does not do is inter-
fere with height limits, design standards, historic protections, lot
coverage, and parking rules which every local authority should have the
right to determine. The bill stops the exacerbation of our current hous-
ing crisis and preserves housing opportunities without overstepping on
local planning and decision making.
The REZO-NY Act ensures housing stability for families and essential
workers, giving them a fair chance to stay in the communities they
serve. And importantly, the bill comes at no 'cost to taxpayers while
requiring no new funding, no subsidies, and no new bureaucracy.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
No prior introduction. Designed in complement with recent state housing
proposals by focusing on localized down-zoning.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
Bills come at no cost to the state, only requiring nominal compliance
costs for local governments.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
180 days after enactment to give local governments enough time to adjust
to new state standards.
