New York took a step forward in addressing the cost of housing on Long Island and across the state last week when it approved revisions to the State Environmental Quality Review Act intended to expedite the review process for housing and certain infrastructure projects when there are “no significant environmental impacts.”
The new law, part of the state’s fiscal 2027 budget, will provide exemptions from the environmental review process for housing complexes on Long Island with up to 300 units in areas considered “urbanized” as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau and up to 100 units in non-urbanized areas. The Census Bureau defines an urban area as a place with at least 2,000 housing units or at least 5,000 people.
