By: Meyer Wolfsheim

City Council Speaker Julie Menin is advancing a new proposal aimed at converting thousands of small, vacant, and underused lots across New York City into new housing developments, as amNewYork reported.

The plan targets roughly 2,850 scattered parcels across the five boroughs—many of them narrow, irregularly shaped, or otherwise difficult to develop under current zoning rules. As amNewYork reported, these so-called “small lots” often sit empty for years because existing building codes make construction financially unviable or overly complicated for developers.

Menin’s proposal would streamline parts of the city’s regulatory and zoning framework in an effort to unlock these sites for residential construction. The goal, according to amNewYork, is to make it easier to build small- and mid-sized apartment buildings on land that is currently overlooked, without requiring large-scale neighborhood rezonings.

City officials estimate the initiative could produce as many as 35,000 new housing units if fully implemented. As amNewYork reported, the emphasis is on increasing supply through incremental development rather than relying exclusively on massive redevelopment projects that often take years to approve and face political resistance.

The push comes as New York continues to face a severe housing shortage, with low vacancy rates and rising rents affecting tenants across income levels. Supporters of the proposal argue that small-lot development represents one of the most underutilized tools available to expand housing quickly within already built-out neighborhoods.

Under the plan, the City Council is also forming a new Advisory Group on Housing Affordability. According to amNewYork, the group will include experts from housing, construction, finance, and urban planning sectors who will help identify regulatory barriers and recommend code changes to make development on small sites more feasible.

The advisory group is expected to play a central role in shaping the final version of the legislation, particularly in determining how to balance faster approvals with safety requirements and neighborhood concerns. As amNewYork reported, officials say the goal is to ensure that reforms improve affordability without sacrificing basic building standards.

Menin has described the effort as a practical approach to addressing the city’s housing crunch by focusing on “infill” development—building on small, scattered sites that are already part of the urban fabric. She has argued that these parcels collectively represent a significant opportunity to add housing without drastically changing the character of neighborhoods.

Developers have long pointed to these types of lots as difficult to build on due to high costs, strict zoning rules, and complex permitting processes. The proposed reforms would aim to reduce those barriers, making it more financially viable to construct housing on smaller footprints.

As amNewYork reported, the plan is also part of a broader citywide strategy to increase housing production amid ongoing affordability concerns. City leaders have increasingly looked for ways to speed up development without triggering large-scale rezoning fights that can stall projects for years.

The proposal remains in its early stages, with no formal legislation yet introduced.