The Campaign

Here’s what Ballot Question 2 does:

Fast-tracks 100% affordable housing projects citywide.
This reform cuts years of red tape out of the approval process, allowing nonprofit and mission-driven developers to move projects forward faster and at lower cost.

Ensures fairer housing across NYC.
The ballot initiative speeds up affordable and mixed-income housing in the 12 neighborhoods that have done the least to provide affordable housing— where even modest, in-scale proposals have been routinely blocked — so that every community contributes to affordability.

Maintains community voice and oversight.
Community Board review remains. Environmental and affordability standards remain. This reform targets bureaucratic delays — not public input.

Centers affordability.
Luxury housing will not be fast-tracked. Question 2 addresses 100% affordable projects, and mixed-income projects in the 12 least-producing neighborhoods only.

For these reasons, ANHD believes that Question 2 presents the best opportunity to bring more affordable homes to NYC and create a fairer opportunity to live in ALL NYC neighborhoods.

The need for this is great. The map below shows where affordable housing has — and hasn’t — been built in the last five years. In the light green areas, many communities have produced fewer than 100 affordable units. Question 2 will help ensure that every part of the city does its fair share in creating affordable, integrated, and thriving neighborhoods.

Geography of affordable housing development, 2020-2025
(darker shading indicates more units produced)

ANHD, its members, and allies are campaigning to encourage every New Yorker who believes in a more affordable and equitable NYC to vote YES on Question 2 to ensure more affordable housing this November!

You can learn more about all of this year’s ballot proposals here.

Why This Matters

New York City is in a dire housing affordability crisis, with low income and working people unable to find housing they can afford. Yet, the majority of new construction is luxury housing that is out of reach for most New Yorkers – and affordable housing on the scale that we need is often delayed or blocked by politics and red tape. In some neighborhoods, even modest affordable housing proposals are rejected, reinforcing inequality and segregation.

A YES vote on Question 2 will lead to more affordable homes for families who need them, so that less New Yorkers get pushed out of their neighborhoods (or out of NYC entirely) by rising rents. It will also ensure more integrated communities in every neighborhood across the city, cultivating the thriving, equitable neighborhoods that New Yorkers deserve.

Resources

ANHD Question 2 Briefing deck: A comprehensive slide presentation used to brief elected officials, staff, and community boards on Ballot Question 2, including FAQs and a short overview of the other ballot questions.

ANHD Question 2 Advocates Overview: A detailed text companion to the briefing deck that outlines the full context, rationale, and policy implications of Ballot Question 2 for advocates and housing professionals.

ANHD Ballot Questions Primer: A plain-language, easy-to-share summary of all the ballot questions – focused on Question 2 – designed to help grassroots groups and community members understand the basics without policy jargon.