How the NYC Mayoral Election Will Affect Zoning Regulations and Housing Prices

Introduction: Why This Election Matters for Zoning and Housing

With current NYC Mayor Eric Adams announcing his decision to withdraw from the upcoming election and voting day approaching, it's time to answer an important question: How will the election affect housing prices and zoning policy?

From our perspective, this is a seemingly daunting question – but also an essential one. We want to stay as unbiased as possible, focusing purely on the zoning and housing policy angle. CivicReset was founded to educate New Yorkers about zoning and the housing crisis. We are not a glorified political campaign.

We will, however, be transparent about which NYC mayor's policies align most closely with the principles we have advocated for. Following Eric Adams' exit from the race, three prominent candidates remain: Democrat Zohran Mamdani, Independent Andrew Cuomo, and Republican Curtis Sliwa. As of October 13th 2025, Mamdani leads the polls at 46% support, with Cuomo trailing at 33%, and Sliwa at 22%.

Zohran Mamdani: Public-Sector-Led Affordability and Zoning Reform

Let's begin with the most polarizing candidate – Zohran Mamdani. Mamdani has largely run his campaign on affordability, acknowledging NYC's outdated zoning regulations and the ongoing housing crisis, and proposing a plan to address both. He has claimed that his housing-focused policies "could be the difference between you having to move to Jersey City and getting to stay in the five boroughs."

Rent Freezes and Long-Term Risks

If elected, Mamdani plans to immediately freeze rents for all rent-stabilized units across New York City. In the short run, this would provide working-class families with much-needed relief. By freezing rents throughout his four-year administration, Mamdani aims to protect tenants from predatory landlords – fulfilling his promise to take back power from them – but several issues arise in the long run.

Historically, rent freezes have discouraged landlords from investing in new development and reinvesting in existing buildings. During De Blasio's 2015–2016 rent freeze, the average tenant saved $40–$60 per month, but operating costs for landlords rose sharply by 2019, leading many smaller property owners to defer repairs or file hardship applications. A 2019 Stanford study on San Francisco's 1994 rent-control expansion found that overall rental supply fell 15% as landlords converted or withdrew units. In New York, 44% of all rental units are rent-regulated, so a policy shift of this scale could be a serious blow to the long-term housing market.

Public-Sector Housing and Execution Risks

Mamdani aims to shift private-led rezoning efforts to public-sector delivery. His campaign proposes tripling the amount of housing built with City capital funds, constructing 200,000 homes over ten years for low-income households, and doubling the capital invested in preserving existing public housing – a $100 billion commitment. He also calls for expanding senior and low-income housing programs, adding affordable units on NYCHA land, and fast-tracking qualifying projects financed through municipal bonds and public land.

In theory, this is a strong ideological reform that even touches on one of CivicReset's core points – reducing NYC's overreliance on the private sector to manage rezoning. However, the plan assumes seamless coordination across HPD, DCP, and NYCHA – agencies long known for bureaucratic gridlock – and that public financing will be sufficient to sustain a $100 billion program. It's an ambitious start, but not a comprehensive solution.

Comprehensive Citywide Zoning Vision

Mamdani's broader rezoning plan features four key goals: increasing zoning capacity, supporting climate sustainability and accessibility, eliminating parking minimums, and expanding rent stabilization through state advocacy. These are major priorities. CivicReset has long supported higher-density zoning, transit-oriented growth around subway hubs, and the removal of parking minimums. These policies are essential to building a more vibrant, transit-connected, and affordable city.

If Mamdani can execute this portion effectively, it would mark a significant step toward a more livable and inclusive New York City.

Andrew Cuomo: Financing, Efficiency, and the "Missing Middle"

Andrew Cuomo has also made tenant protection, affordability, and rezoning central to his campaign. Just yesterday, he released his First 100 Days Affordable Housing Action Plan, which aims to bring 80,000 affordable units to the market through a mix of new construction, clearing HPD's backlog, and re-leasing vacant rent-stabilized apartments.

He emphasizes creative financing – bonding revenue from the Battery Park City Authority, redirecting PILOT payments toward housing, and expanding access to Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. He also proposes raising the city's pension-fund allocation for affordable housing from 2% to 5%, unlocking roughly $9 billion in new investment.

If executed properly, this could inject real funding into the housing pipeline. Yet, achieving 80,000 units in 100 days would require unprecedented coordination across agencies like HPD and DCP – which currently produce fewer than 8,000 units per year.

Cuomo also pledges to revitalize NYCHA and streamline HPD's bureaucracy. Still, without deeper zoning reform, even efficient financing will struggle to create the systemic change needed.

Addressing the "Missing Middle"

Cuomo's focus on the "missing middle" – middle-income families often overlooked in housing policy – is one of his campaign's strengths. His plan encourages the creation of workforce housing for households earning 120–130% of the area median income. This nuance broadens the conversation beyond a simple rich-versus-poor framework and reflects an awareness of how affordability gaps affect New York's middle class.

Overall, Cuomo's plan is commendable for its immediate, pragmatic approach. However, it lacks a citywide zoning vision. It's a finance-driven model with short-term impact, but it leaves the long-term structural zoning issues largely untouched.

Curtis Sliwa: Local Control and the Repeal of City of Yes

Lastly, Curtis Sliwa has built much of his housing platform around repealing the City of Yes initiative. He argues that restoring local zoning control would prevent overdevelopment that strains schools, transit, and public services, calling City of Yes a top-down plan that overlooks neighborhood character.

This is incorrect on several fronts. Yes – if City of Yes created unregulated luxury towers without infrastructure support, that would be a problem (see our LIC articles). But that isn't what the plan proposes.

There is a way to facilitate responsible high-density rezoning that invests in local businesses, infrastructure, and transit capacity – and that's precisely what City of Yes aims to achieve. The initiative establishes clear, citywide standards that make it easier to build housing where it makes the most sense.

Shifting zoning decisions entirely to the local level would only amplify the NIMBY mentality across affluent neighborhoods. Localized veto power would make higher-density housing nearly impossible, all under the guise of preserving "neighborhood character," which, if planned properly, can coexist with growth.

Additional Housing Proposals

Sliwa's plan also includes restoring 28,000 vacant rent-controlled apartments, expanding housing for seniors and working families, and converting underutilized commercial spaces into housing – policies that could modestly ease supply constraints. Other parts of his platform, such as property-tax reform and landlord regulation rollbacks, focus more on fiscal management than zoning – areas outside CivicReset's primary scope.

In summary, Sliwa's plan conflicts sharply with our stance on City of Yes and comprehensive rezoning but offers a few practical measures for increasing available housing stock.

Conclusion: Zoning, Affordability, and Civic Accountability

Each candidate approaches New York's housing crisis through a different lens: Mamdani through public-sector expansion, Cuomo through financial efficiency, and Sliwa through local control. But regardless of political strategy, the city's future hinges on zoning reform, density, and equitable growth – the very foundations CivicReset was created to champion.

Elections come and go, yet zoning decisions shape affordability for decades. CivicReset will continue tracking how the next mayor implements (or resists) City of Yes, manages rezoning across boroughs, and balances growth with sustainability. The real test begins after Election Day – when campaign promises meet the zoning map.

Our mission remains the same: to hold New York's leaders accountable to one goal – a city that builds smarter, denser, and fairer for everyone.

Written by: Farid Sofiyev

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