City Council leaders challenge three ballot proposals on land use review

City Council leaders are pushing back against three ballot proposals that would make changes to the city's land use review process. The proposals were approved by the Charter Revision Commission and are set to be voted on by the city's Board of Elections on Tuesday. However, City Council leaders are challenging the legality of these proposals, claiming that they could be misleading to voters and threaten the current land use review system.

The first proposal would require the City Planning Commission to complete its review of land use applications within 90 days, rather than the current 60 days. The second proposal would establish a new timeline for community boards to review land use applications, with a 45-day deadline. The third proposal would create a new community engagement process for large development projects.

The City Council argues that these proposals do not provide enough detail or context for voters to make an informed decision. They also claim that the proposals could have unintended consequences, such as delaying the land use review process and making it more difficult for community boards to participate in the process.

"These proposals are vague and misleading, and could ultimately harm our city's land use review system," said City Council speaker Corey Johnson. "We need to make sure that any changes made to this process are well thought out and do not have negative impacts on our communities."

The Board of Elections will now have to decide whether to remove these proposals from the November ballot. If they are removed, it will be a major blow to the Charter Revision Commission, which spent months studying the city's land use review process and crafting these proposals.

Originally reported by