Richards defends Affordable Housing Fast Track at Flushing town hall

What happened

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards held a town hall on Oct. 13 at East Flushing Library for Community District 11 residents. QNS reported that he tried to reassure them about the city's Affordable Housing Fast Track. The district includes parts of Auburndale, Bayside and Douglaston.

Voters approved the fast track in a City Charter amendment in November 2025. It takes effect in January 2027. It targets the 12 community districts that have historically produced the least affordable housing. In Queens, these are Community Districts 4, 5, 10, 11 and 13. In those districts, eligible rezoning proposals that create affordable housing will get a 90-day public review. The traditional Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) takes about seven months, so the new process cuts roughly four months. Community boards and borough presidents still review, but at the same time instead of one after the other. The City Planning Commission still reviews. QNS reported that the City Council is bypassed completely. Environmental review and landmark protections do not change.

During the Q&A, residents worried about losing the City Council's power to veto unpopular projects. They also noted that many City Planning Commission members are mayoral appointees. Richards said he has a borough appointee on the commission, Costa Constantinides, CEO of the Variety Boys and Girls Club. He said his office will stay in close contact with him and can still hold public hearings and raise concerns before projects reach the commission.

According to QNS, the 12 districts are about one-fifth of the city's 59 community districts. They produced 883 of 63,870 new affordable homes over the past five years, or 1.1% of the citywide total. Richards said CB11 is among the Queens districts that have done "little to none" on affordable housing. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the fast track will help share housing growth more fairly across all five boroughs.