ALBANY, NY – Senator Steve Rhoads, along with Town of Hempstead Supervisor John Ferretti, Assembly Minority Leader Ed Ra, and colleagues in the Senate Republican and Assembly Republican Conferences, stood in opposition to the REVIVE Act. This legislation would fast-track high-density housing developments while stripping local communities of their ability to shape what gets built in their neighborhoods.

Legislators and local officials slammed the measure as another of example of Albany’s regulatory overreach that ignores community input and imposes a one-size-fits-all mandate on neighborhoods across New York, raising concerns about its impact on local planning, zoning laws, and quality of life. 

"Zoning exists for a reason—and this bill tramples over it. The so-called “REVIVE Act” is another attempt to revive Kathy Hochul and Albany Democrats failed agenda to turn our suburbs into the 6th borough of New York City. This bill doesn’t revive communities; it overrides them, replacing careful, locally driven planning with yet another one-size-fits-all mandate from Albany that forces municipalities to approve projects regardless of local context, strips away meaningful oversight, weakens commonsense parking and density standards, and silences the residents who know their neighborhoods best. And instead of asking why commercial properties are sitting vacant in the first place, Albany should take a hard look at the crushing regulatory burden it has placed on our small businesses, over 300,000 regulations, among the highest in the nation. This is not smart growth—it’s state-imposed overreach. We need real housing solutions, and the senate and assembly Republican conference has put forward commonsense proposals—but not at the cost of local control, community character, and accountable decision-making. We can meet our housing needs without steamrolling the communities we serve," said Senator Steve Rhoads.

The proposal would allow commercial properties and parking lots to be converted into residential and mixed-use developments by bypassing existing zoning laws, severely undermining local control and public input. Specifically, the legislation:

• Declares qualifying housing projects “permitted by right,” overriding local zoning, site plan discretion, and the ability of municipalities to say no.
• Imposes statewide control over density, height and parking for certain projects, preventing local boards from tailoring size and scale to neighborhood conditions.
• Establishes fast-track approvals and automatic approvals if deadlines are missed, sidelining local boards and residents. 
  • Limits municipal review only to holding “non-binding design review” hearings.

“Top-down mandates from Albany don’t work, and the REVIVE Act falls squarely into that category,” said Leader Ra. “There’s no question we need to tackle New York’s housing shortage, but you don’t solve a statewide issue by stripping local communities of their ability to make decisions that directly impact their neighborhoods. Local zoning exists for a reason, and any real solution should empower communities—not silence them.”

“Once again, Governor Hochul and Albany extremists are pushing a top-down, one-size-fits-all mandate that strips municipalities of their authority over local zoning,” said Town of Hempstead Supervisor Ferretti. “These heavy-handed policies ignore the unique needs of our communities and silence the voices of the residents. Local decisions belong in local hands — not dictated from Albany.”