Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, Deputy Mayor Leila Bozorg, and Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Dina Levy announced on Mar. 25 the launch of the Neighborhood Builders Fast Track program, which aims to speed up the delivery of affordable housing on city-owned land in New York City.
The initiative is designed to address what officials describe as a historic housing crisis by reducing bureaucratic delays and making it faster to build affordable homes. The new process will pre-qualify builders and shorten the pre-development Request for Proposals process by eight months for certain projects. Together with an Expedited Land Use Review Procedure recently approved by voters, these measures are expected to cut more than two years from the typical pre-development timeline.
“Our city is facing a historic housing crisis — the last thing we need to do is tie ourselves in red tape,” said Mayor Mamdani. “The Neighborhood Builders Fast Track will speed up housing development and make it faster to build on city-owned land. This administration is willing to move at the speed of need to make this a city New Yorkers can continue to call home.” Deputy Mayor Bozorg said she was proud to launch the program alongside HPD staff, adding that upcoming projects include sites at 784 Myrtle Ave, 1337 Jerome Ave, and 109-43 Farmers Blvd.
Commissioner Levy said: “New York City needs more affordable housing, built faster and at lower cost — and HPD is not waiting to deliver it. The Neighborhood Builders Fast Track will reduce costs, speed up timelines, and maximize affordability. Public land is a public good — and we will not let city-owned sites sit idle while New Yorkers struggle to find an affordable home.” An RFQ for developers focused on nonprofits as well as minority- and women-owned businesses has been released with responses due May 8th.
Local leaders welcomed the announcement. Council Member Chi Ossé highlighted his district’s inclusion in Brooklyn as recognition of Bed-Stuy’s need for deeply affordable homes. Rev. Dr. Adolphus Lacey called it “hope” for neighborhoods experiencing displacement pressures while Rev. Dr. David K. Brawley described it as leadership during an emergency: “We are in a 9-1-1 moment… They act… They streamline… They expedite… We can’t wait to come back here and welcome the families who will have a brand-new home.” Annemarie Gray of Open New York pointed out that with only a 1.4% vacancy rate in New York City, speeding up construction through programs like this one could help more residents access homes they can afford.
The Mamdani administration has also created task forces—LIFT (Land Inventory Fast Track) and SPEED (Streamlining Procedures to Expedite Equitable Development)—to identify further opportunities for reforming how affordable housing projects are approved across all phases from site selection through lease-up.
Broader support came from industry representatives such as Carlina Rivera of NYSAFAH who said: “We applaud Mayor Mamdani and his team for their creativity in finding new pathways,” while Lee A. Brathwaite of Apex Building Group emphasized that expediting approvals was essential if demand was going be met quickly enough.
