The Math of Housing Affordability
Housing prices are fundamentally driven by supply and demand:
- Long Island housing stock grew only 2% from 2012-2022
- Population relatively stable, but household formation continued
- Result: Increasing competition for limited housing
- Median home price: $680,000 (double national average)
The only sustainable solution is building more housing. All other interventions (rent control, subsidies) are important but cannot substitute for production.
Production Strategies
Transit-Oriented Zoning Reform
California's SB 79 (2025) provides a model:
- Mandatory minimum zoning standards near transit stations
- Tiered approach: highest density near heavy rail, moderate near bus rapid transit
- Ministerial (automatic) approval for conforming projects
- Affordability requirements built in
- Labor standards for construction
Application to Long Island
- Mandate multifamily zoning within 1/2 mile of all LIRR stations
- Height minimums scaled to station frequency
- Automatic approval pathway for projects meeting objective standards
- Tie to sewer investment (enable density where infrastructure exists)
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
- Allow ADUs by right in all single-family zones
- Eliminate owner-occupancy requirements
- Streamlined permit process (California: 15-day completeness determination)
- Pre-approved plans to reduce design costs
- Reduced or eliminated impact fees for small units
Missing Middle Housing
- Allow duplexes, triplexes, townhomes in single-family zones
- Form-based codes that regulate building appearance rather than use
- Reduced parking requirements near transit
- Lot-split provisions allowing one lot to become two
Incentive-Based Approaches
- Pro-Housing Community certification tied to state funding
- Density bonuses for affordable units
- Tax increment financing for infrastructure
- Fast-track permitting for projects meeting criteria
California SB 35: A Model That Works
Results from California
- By 2023, over 18,000 housing units proposed under SB 35
- Two-thirds were affordable housing
- Approval timelines dramatically reduced
How It Works
- If a jurisdiction isn't meeting its housing production goals, qualifying projects receive "ministerial" (automatic) approval
- Projects must meet objective standards (zoning, affordability requirements, labor standards)
- Approval timeline capped at 60-90 days
- Exempts projects from discretionary review and CEQA
Safeguards
- Only applies to jurisdictions failing to meet housing goals
- Excludes environmentally sensitive sites, historic resources, hazard zones
- Requires affordability set-asides
- Labor standards for construction workers
Addressing NIMBY Opposition
Visualization and Education
- Show actual examples of "missing middle" housing
- Demonstrate minimal traffic/school impacts
- Highlight property value stability in areas that added housing
- Frame as keeping young people in community
Economic Arguments
- Local business benefits from population stability
- Healthcare and service workers need housing too
- Agricultural succession depends on workforce housing
- Tax base expansion from new construction
Process Design
- State-level preemption removes local veto points
- Ministerial approval eliminates discretionary hearings
- By-right development reduces litigation risk
- Regional housing targets with enforcement