Thriving Communities Coalition Calls for Bold Action and Comprehensive Planning Amendment on November 2025 Ballot

Mayor’s Charter Commission Must Act Decisively to Ensure a More Equitable, Inclusive, and Accountable New York

New York must work for real people, not just developers and the wealthy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 23, 2025
Contact: Cathy Rought Jacobson, 202-263-9097
cathy@integritasea.org

NEW YORK, NY—At Wednesday night’s Manhattan hearing of the New York City Charter Revision Commission, a committed group of residents, advocates, and community leaders delivered compelling testimony in support of embedding Comprehensive Planning into the City Charter. The Thriving Communities Coalition (TCC) applauded the testimony and urged the Commission to listen to New Yorkers who are calling for a fairer, more transparent, and more accountable planning process.

“Last night’s testimony made one thing clear: New Yorkers want a planning system that centers equity, reflects community voice, and ensures every neighborhood does its part to meet the city’s challenges,” said a TCC spokesperson. “Our current ad hoc approach to land use has deepened inequality, displacement, and environmental injustice. Now is the time for transformative change.”

TCC’s testimony — echoed by those in attendance — called on the Commission to place a Comprehensive Planning amendment on the November 2025 ballot. The proposal would require the city to regularly produce a coordinated, equity-centered citywide plan, with clear targets and deep community engagement.

The proposed planning framework would create a comprehensive plan for development and investment on a recurring timeline, and

• Establish equity goals around housing, infrastructure, open space, and education and clear targets at a citywide and Community District level;
• Fast-track projects via ULURP that have a measurable impact on achieving these goals
• Align existing mandates like the Fair Housing Plan and sustainability plans
• Ensure representative and transparent public engagement
• Hold agencies and decision-makers accountable for shared outcomes

Those who testified during the evening shared stories of exclusion, underinvestment, and displacement, underscoring the urgent need for reform.

“New York Appleseed was encouraged by the City’s recent steps toward advancing fair and affordable housing, through passage of the City of Yes. Yet critical questions remain—about land use, support for community voice and engagement in neighborhood development, protections against displacement and gentrification, and how we ensure housing policies address historic disinvestment in Black and Latinx communities. These issues are deeply interconnected with the challenges Appleseed seeks to address, particularly the legacy of residential segregation, which continues to drive school segregation and educational inequality in New York City today. To truly fulfill the promises of housing initiatives that New York City has put forth in recent years, the City needs comprehensive planning. Comprehensive planning ensures that change is guided by a collective strategy rather than fragmented, piecemeal policy. The importance of comp planning drives our support for the Thriving Communities Coalition and its goals.” – Nyah Berg, executive director, NY Appleseed 

“FAC believes this Charter Commission has an important opportunity to ensure that development in New York City is more inclusive, equitable and comprehensive. FAC believes that NYC needs a Comprehensive Plan, that 100% affordable housing projects should be as of right and that all city-sponsored neighborhood rezonings should mandate a community-controlled Oversight Task Force funded by the City similar to what we’ve successfully created in Gowanus,” said Michelle de la Uz, Executive Director, Fifth Avenue Committee and former New York City Planning Commissioner

“When I worked in two mayors’ offices, I struggled with disconnected reporting and policies absent a complete plan. Now, as a housing and land use activist, I’ve seen development go where money takes it, and ignored residents stuck with gentrification while their neighbors are displaced. With community-driven comprehensive planning, development would be targeted where it’s most needed and residents would plan how to make it work in their own neighborhoods.” –Paul Epstein, Northern Manhattan Activist & TCC Delegate. 

“The Municipal Art Society of New York is a proud member of the Thriving Communities Coalition and is thrilled to support a mandate for comprehensive planning on the November 2025 ballot. MAS has continuously advocated for a comprehensive planning framework to promote holistic thinking around long-term land-use planning and to elevate active community participation in the process. With an amendment for comprehensive planning, the City has the opportunity to ensure critical targets and policies are equitably aligned to meet planning goals and to build toward more livable neighborhoods for this generation and beyond. “– Keri Butler, Municipal Art Society Interim President

“Inefficiencies that exist in our current land use process should not result in reducing or bypassing community engagement. Community-based planning would ensure that proposed projects align with community needs from the start and create a more unified approach where city agencies, developers, and residents can work towards a City that will be equitable and sustainable for all.” – Tara Duvivier, Senior Planner, Pratt Center for Community Development

What’s Next:

TCC urges the Charter Commission to act on the public’s demands and vote to advance Comprehensive Planning as a formal charter amendment proposal. Residents can still submit written testimony to ensure their voices are heard by visiting:

https://www.nyc.gov/site/charter/contact/contact-charter.page

The Thriving Communities Coalition is a citywide alliance of grassroots organizing, advocacy, policy, and technical assistance groups working across issue areas and neighborhoods. United in the belief that New York City must transform how it plans and invests, TCC advocates for structural change to ensure equitable, inclusive, and community-led planning outcomes.

cathy@integritasea.org
C: 202-263-9097