NY governor pushes streamlined environmental reviews to boost housing

By Janaki Chadha | 01/15/2025 12:54 PM EST

Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled the idea in her State of the State address Tuesday.

Kathy Hochul stands at a lectern.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s latest housing proposals are generally modest in scope, particularly compared to last year’s sweeping housing deal. Darren McGee/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul

NEW YORK — Gov. Kathy Hochul is moving to streamline costly environmental reviews attached to residential development as part of a suite of proposals to boost housing supply.

She’s also planning to introduce legislation to ban price-fixing software used to inflate rents — a practice that distorts the housing market and costs tenants $3.8 billion a year nationally, the Democratic governor said in her State of the State address Tuesday.

Hochul’s latest housing proposals are generally modest in scope, particularly compared to last year’s sweeping housing deal, which required significant political capital and consumed much of budget negotiations. The issue nonetheless remains urgent, as a shortage of available housing continues to drive up prices.

Advertisement

“Housing is the No. 1 driver of our affordability crisis,” Hochul said Tuesday. “And the only way to decrease housing costs is to increase supply. We need to build, and build, and build some more.”

GET FULL ACCESS