Ericka Keller

New York City’s housing shortage is worsening every day, yet the very processes designed to bring relief often delay or derail the affordable housing projects we need most. As a developer who has spent years working to create housing for seniors, working families and low-income New Yorkers of all backgrounds, I have seen firsthand how bureaucracy, politics and “not in my backyard” resistance can stand in the way of progress. This is why I strongly support the Charter Revision Commission’s proposal to establish a fast-track Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP) for affordable housing, which would be a lifeline for New Yorkers who are waiting far too long for homes they deserve.

Too often, local opposition focuses on the immediate block or neighborhood without considering the greater good of the city. Elected officials, pressured by constituents with narrow concerns, respond in ways that may protect the preferences of a few but ultimately harm the needs of many. At a time when families are being priced out, seniors are aging without safe and stable options and young people are leaving the city because they cannot afford to stay, we cannot allow vocal opposition from a handful of neighbors to dictate the city’s future.

Take the Dr. and Lady Alfred Cockfield (DLAC) Senior Residences in Arverne on the Rockaway Peninsula. This project, a joint venture with God’s Battalion of Prayer, promised 83 units of senior housing and a 71,000-square-foot charter school. The community asked for it. The city needed it. And yet, nine years later, we are still fighting through bureaucratic twists and turns. We should have had 83 seniors in dignified housing years ago. Instead, the project has been mired in layers of process that add no value to the residents we seek to serve.

This is not an isolated case. It is emblematic of the larger problem: a system that rewards obstruction and delay, and in doing so, supports structural inequities that keep vulnerable communities from accessing safe, affordable homes.

What makes this even more frustrating is that the delays are often not the result of a project’s merits but of technicalities. The current ULURP and other procedures needed to facilitate the
creation of affordable housing in New York City are riddled with requirements that are opaque, overly burdensome, and — whether intentional or not — discriminatory. When applications are rejected not because the project is unworthy but because of process technicalities, something is deeply broken. It becomes less about whether we are building the housing people need and more about whether we can navigate a bureaucratic maze designed to slow us down. Every delay translates into another winter without stable shelter for a senior, another family doubled up in overcrowded conditions, another child growing up without the stability that a permanent home provides.

The Charter Revision Commission’s proposals, particularly the fast-track ULURP, are about more than speed. They are about creating a system that works for all New Yorkers, not just for those who can afford to fight the longest or shout the loudest. A streamlined process would allow projects like the DLAC Senior Residences to move forward in months rather than years. It would also bring greater transparency, ensuring that decisions are made based on the needs of the broader city, not just on the political calculations of a few.

I support these reforms not only because they will make my job as a developer more effective, but because they will make our city more just. Every New Yorker deserves the dignity of a safe, affordable home, and our government should make that easier, not harder, to deliver that. These proposals are a step toward equity, toward dismantling the systemic barriers that have quietly reinforced exclusion for decades, and toward a more transparent process that prioritizes people over politics.

Questions 2 through 5 on New Yorkers’ ballots seek to fast-track approvals, accelerate small-scale projects, establish a Housing Appeals Board to prevent political delays, and replace outdated paper maps with a modern digital system. Together, these reforms cut red tape, streamline planning, and make it easier to build the homes New Yorkers need.

This November, voters will decide on these proposals. Supporting them means supporting seniors, families, and the city’s future. It’s a vote for equity, progress, and people over bureaucracy. For too long, red tape and local opposition have stalled affordable housing. It’s time to clear the path and build the homes New Yorkers urgently need.

Ericka Keller is the Managing Member of Brisa Builders Development.