Brad Lander Would Declare Housing Emergency if Elected N.Y.C. Mayor

New York Times

06-03-2025

Declare a state of emergency because of New York City's housing crisis. Build 50,000 homes on public golf courses. Triple subsidies for affordable housing.
These are a few of Brad Lander's ideas to address the housing crisis if he is elected mayor in November, according to a 30-page housing plan he is set to announce Thursday. Mr. Lander, the city comptroller, joins several other mayoral candidates who hope to woo voters with ambitious plans to make the city more affordable.
Many of his plan's components, like increasing housing subsidies, would be costly. Others, like development on golf courses, are likely to encounter resistance from people living nearby.
But Mr. Lander, a Democrat, hopes his years of urban planning and political experience will help him navigate the many logistical and political challenges. As a City Council member, he helped push through the redevelopment of Brooklyn's Gowanus neighborhood, where thousands of homes are being built today.
'This is the work of my adult life,' Mr. Lander said in an interview. 'I will be the best-prepared housing mayor.'
The housing crisis has become one of the biggest issues in the mayor's race, with candidates trying to outdo one another through lofty promises to make the city more affordable.
Rents are at some of the highest levels ever and are poised to go up even more. The share of apartments that are affordable and available to rent is, according to the most recent figures, at a 50-year low. The situation is fueling homelessness, pushing working-class people out of the city and threatening to upend New York's economy.
'Housing is the top issue for New Yorkers across the political spectrum,' said Cea Weaver, the campaign coordinator for Housing Justice for All, a tenants' group that is urging candidates to limit rent increases for rent-stabilized homes.
Mayors have a lot of influence over housing policy. They appoint people to boards that govern the city's public housing system and regulate rent-stabilized apartments and weigh in on new development. They push legislation, shape the city budget and seek support for the city from the state and federal government.
Mr. Lander said declaring a state of emergency on his first day in office will allow him to increase funding for housing-focused agencies and eliminate time-consuming budget office reviews of certain affordable housing deals.
He said he will convene a 'citizens assembly' — a representative group of New York City residents — to quickly come up with ways to make housing development faster and simpler. And Mr. Lander, like several other candidates, is hoping to push a citywide plan for development, instead of individual neighborhood plans.
He acknowledged that some of his biggest ideas will require changes to the City Charter. Luckily, he said, Mayor Eric Adams has already created a charter revision commission focused on housing that has the power to put ballot proposals before voters. Mr. Lander said he plans to present ideas to the panel next month.
Many candidates agree on increasing development, but differ in their approaches.
The golf course idea Mr. Lander proposed is part of his plan to build 500,000 additional homes, both affordable and market-rate, over the next 10 years. Mr. Adams, who has backed zoning changes that make it easier to build citywide, is targeting a similar number and wants to focus on apartments that are big enough for families.
Zellnor Myrie, a progressive state senator, has called for one million new homes to be built over the next decade, including thousands in residential areas 'sandwiched' between industrial parts of the city. State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, said in his housing plan that he wants to spend $100 billion to help build 200,000 affordable homes over the next 10 years.
Curtis Sliwa, a Republican candidate for mayor, also wants more homes, though he wants to focus on small landlords.
Annemarie Gray, the executive director of Open New York, a pro-development nonprofit, said, 'The fact that nearly every mayoral candidate is prioritizing the need for more housing shows just how much the conversation has shifted.'
She added, 'There's now broad agreement that the only way to bring down costs for New Yorkers is to build a lot more homes — and fast.'
Several candidates, particularly those on the left, also emphasize policies that benefit renters.
Mr. Mamdani, State Senator Jessica Ramos and former State Assemblyman Michael Blake have all said they would support a rent freeze in the roughly one million rent-stabilized homes in the city.
Scott Stringer, a former city comptroller, said he would seize neglected apartment buildings and transfer them to 'responsible developers.' Mr. Lander said he wants to expand funding for lawyers who represent tenants in housing court.
Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said he wants to 'enhance enforcement of rent-stabilization laws to prevent illegal rent hikes and landlord harassment.'
The next mayor will also have to deal with New York City's vast public housing system, which needs tens of billions of dollars worth of repairs and upgrades. The election of President Trump, who has spoken critically about public housingyes, puts even more pressure on the mayor to find local fixes.