LEVERAGING CITY-OWNED LAND TO ACCELERATE HOUSING
WHEREAS, New York City is experiencing a housing shortage, resulting in a vacancy rate—a measure of the City’s housing stock available for rent—of just 1.4%, as last measured by the Housing and Vacancy Survey, which is the lowest vacancy rate since 1968; and
WHEREAS, such housing shortage must be addressed through the production of additional housing at all levels of affordability; and
WHEREAS, the City of New York, public authorities, and not-for-profit corporations affiliated with the City control land throughout the five boroughs that could support additional housing production; and
WHEREAS, sourcing City-controlled sites to produce housing requires navigating unique constraints, including operating requirements, regulatory obligations, site-specific costs, and agency-specific considerations; and
WHEREAS, development of City-controlled sites should balance the creation of new housing with the preservation of essential City services, ongoing operations, and neighborhood needs;
NOW, THEREFORE, by the power vested in me as Mayor of the City of New York, it is hereby ordered:
Section 1. Establishment of the Task Force. There is hereby established an interagency Land Inventory Fast Track Task Force (the “LIFT Task Force”).
a. The LIFT Task Force shall be chaired by the Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning or such Deputy Mayor’s designee, or the successor to such Deputy Mayor or their designee (the “Chair”).
b. The LIFT Task Force shall consist of representatives from Mayoral agencies offices, and affiliated non-profit corporations, including the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the Department of City Planning, the Department of Buildings, the Office of Management and Budget, the New York City Economic Development Corporation, and representatives from other agencies, offices or entities affiliated with the City designated by the Chair.
c. The LIFT Task Force shall also seek the participation and cooperation of additional public and other entities as the Chair deems appropriate, including, but not limited to the New York Public Library, the Queens Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library, the New York City Department of Education, the New York City Housing Authority, the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and the Empire State Development Corporation. The Chair may invite any of these or other entities as designated by the Chair to participate on the LIFT Task Force in accordance with subdivision (b) of this Section.
§ 2. Duties of the Task Force. The Task Force shall:
a. Review sites owned and controlled by the City or an agency, office or entity identified pursuant to Section one of this Order, and identify sites that may be suitable for housing development and whose development would not create a significant disruption to critical City operations or services;
b. Develop general strategies to facilitate the use for housing of sites owned and controlled by the City or such agencies, offices, or entities; and
c. Identify, no later than July 1, 2026, sites owned and controlled by the City or such agencies, offices or entities that are appropriate to support at least 25,000 new housing units over the next ten years.
§ 3. Review of Capital Projects that Impact City-Owned Properties. Mayoral agencies participating on the LIFT Task Force pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 1 of this Order that manage capital projects shall inform the LIFT Task Force prior to proposing to allocate substantial capital dollars for improvements to real property owned by the City.
§ 4. Consultation on Land Use Changes. Mayoral agencies participating on the LIFT Task Force pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 1 of this Order shall inform the LIFT Task Force when reviewing or developing land use actions that would impact City-owned properties or would impact properties that are directly adjacent to City-owned properties, to the extent feasible.
§ 5. Effective Date. This Order shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be deemed revoked on December 31, 2030.
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Zohran Kwame Mamdani
Mayor