There’s been a bit of chatter in the past few days, at least on a handful of blogs, about the future of the city’s seven-month rezoning approval process (the Uniform Land Use Review Process, or ULURP), with rumors floating around that it will come under the microscope of the yet-to-be-created Charter Review Commission.
ULURP is required for any rezonings—and therefore many large developments—citywide. It includes non-binding recommendations from local community boards and borough presidents, and requires approvals from the City Planning Commission and the City Council.
In an interview with me earlier this week, Council Speaker Christine Quinn said she indeed wanted the Charter Review Commission to take a look at ULURP, and she would push for changes to its structure. Her concerns, she said, mostly lie with the preliminary scoping process, when the parameters of what can and cannot ultimately get built are established. Right now, the City Planning Commission has control over that, a structure she said needs another look [more in the interview here].
On Tuesday, I asked Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, who has devoted considerable attention to land use matters, about potential changes to the process. read more »
