City Planning Announces New and Improved Tools to Speed Up Pre-Development Process

 

Improved Zoning Application Portal and New CEQR Webtool Will Ease Application, Environmental Review for New Projects 

Improvements Deliver on “Get Stuff Built,” Mayor Adams’ Plan to Get Homes Constructed Faster 

Department of City Planning (DCP) Director Dan Garodnick today announced key process improvements to speed up the pre-development land use application and environmental review process. An improved Zoning Application Portal (ZAP) system now allows applicants to self-initiate projects online, while a brand new City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) Data Hub makes it easier to move projects through environmental review. Together, these improvements will make it easier to move housing proposals forward to the public review process, and ultimately, help new homes get built more quickly. 

“We are taking direct aim at unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles that effectively slow down progress for New York City. Our CEQR Data Hub and improved Zoning Application Portal will save applicants time, streamline processes, and help get shovels in the ground faster,” said DCP Director Dan Garodnick. “This is another great example of how we’re continuously working to cut red tape, and to enable more homes and opportunities for New Yorkers.” 

”These new digital tools reduce the delays of building in NYC” said Rob Holbrook, Executive Director of Get Stuff Built. “Every opportunity to automate the process of land use approval applications is one less chance for an application to get delayed by city staff manually taking a step in the process. Time is money in NYC. These improvements are how we reduce the cost of housing production and make our city more affordable for families to live and thrive.” 

CEQR Data Hub 

In New York City, most discretionary land use actions – such as zoning changes to allow new apartment buildings – must go through the CEQR process, per state and city law and practice. This requirement can take several years to complete before formal public review even begins. Until now, initiating CEQR required manually collecting up to 180 data sets from a patchwork of city, state, and federal sources, and confirm that each one was up to date. The CEQR Data Hub significantly streamlines this process by centralizing data sets in one place and providing clear instructions on how to use them.  

The CEQR Data Hub also streamlines communication by offering a workbook to easily calculate population data that previously had to be requested from DCP staff. As such, the Data Hub marks a significant step forward in the Adams Administration’s “Get Stuff Built” initiative to cut red tape and increase housing construction.   

Zoning Application Portal 

The newly enhanced Zoning Application Portal (ZAP) enables land use applicants to initiate their own projects, rather than having to contact the appropriate DCP borough office through email. The new system reduces the need for time-intensive correspondence, reduces the margin for human error, and makes it easier to accurately track and manage applications as they advance forward. 

Streamlined Rules to Build Homes Faster 

These process improvements deliver on goals established in the Buildings and Land Use Approval Streamlining Taskforce (BLAST)’s “Get Stuff Built” report, and are the latest in a series of reforms to streamline rules and build housing faster. Green Fast Track is helping achieve the city’s housing and climate goals by making it easier for modest, climate-friendly housing projects to proceed through environmental review. The Office Conversion Accelerator is an interagency effort to guide buildings that wish to convert through city bureaucracy that now has assisted over 85 buildings. City of Yes for Housing Opportunity represents the most pro-housing zoning update in New York City’s history, and significantly streamlined zoning rules to encourage housing growth across the city. Indeed, the changes it introduced have resulted in a Zoning Resolution that is now ~470 pages shorter, and easier to understand.  

Department of City Planning  

The Department of City Planning (DCP) plans for the future of New York City, working to create thriving and dynamic neighborhoods with access to housing and jobs, resilient infrastructure, and a vibrant public realm. The Department engages communities to develop inclusive plans and studies, expands housing access and economic opportunity, and plans for long-term sustainability.  

DCP supports the City Planning Commission in its annual review of approximately 450 land use applications for a variety of discretionary approvals. The Department also assists government agencies and the public by advising on strategic and capital planning and providing policy analysis, technical assistance, and data.