Putting Climate-Friendly Housing on the Fast Track

Mayor Eric Adams of New York City has pledged to deliver 500,000 new housing units by 2032.

With housing at a premium in New York City, Green Fast Track for Housing streamlines the environmental review process for small- to medium-sized residential projects throughout the five boroughs—saving housing developers time and money.

This is a significant initiative of the mayor’s Get Stuff Built strategy, announced in 2022, to address the city’s affordable housing crisis.

Climate Development

August 30 2024September 9 2024

Authors

Patrick Blanchfield

Vice President

Celeste Evans

Senior Technical Director

Green Fast Track for Housing was approved by the City Planning Commission in March 2024 and took effect in June 2024. The qualifications for eligibility include projects meeting the following criteria:

Fewer than 250 or 175 residential units depending on the zoning district
Use all-electric heating instead of fossil fuels for heat and hot water
Be located outside of vulnerable coastal areas and away from major roads and areas with industrial emissions
Stand less than 250 feet tall generally and less than 50 feet tall when adjacent to open space, natural resources, or historically sensitive areas
Meet remediation and attenuation standards for areas with hazardous materials or high ambient noise

Green Fast Track for Housing proposals that require a rezoning will still adhere to the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, commonly known as ULURP.

“With Green Fast Track now in effect, housing agencies and developers have additional certainty—and critical reductions—in the timeline and costs associated with environmental review for modest housing projects. That the eligibility requirements also include sustainability measures to help the city meet its climate goals is icing on the cake.”

Linh Do

Senior Vice President, AKRF

“Mayor Adams Celebrates Implementation of ‘Green Fast Track,’ Launches Effort to Build More Sustainable Housing”

What Developers Need to Know

In an assessment of prior environmental reviews, the New York City Department of City Planning consistently found that certain housing projects had no negative impacts on the environment. As many as two years of environmental review may be saved through this new initiative while continuing to afford the public an opportunity to participate in the review process.

To determine a project’s eligibility for Green Fast Track for Housing the applicant will need to complete some pre-certification milestones and prepare an eligibility package. This Fast Tracker app can help, and the program is summarized well in this December 2023 presentation.

Green Fast Track for Housing is supported by other initiatives prioritizing solutions to housing demand in New York City. In August 2024, Mayor Eric Adams issued Executive Order 43, “Prioritizing Housing Production and Accelerating the Production of Housing on City Sites,” whereby a new task force will review all City-owned and -controlled land to identify potential sites for housing development.