Governor Hochul Joins Capital Region Leaders to Highlight Let Them Build Agenda and Tour Mixed-income Housing Project Under Construction

Governor Kathy Hochul today joined Capital Region leaders on a tour of Sol Apartments, a mixed-income housing project in Troy that is underway to highlight her "Let Them Build" agenda, a series of landmark reforms to speed up housing and infrastructure development and lower costs as part of her 2026 State of the State. This initiative will spur a series of common sense reforms to New York's State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and executive actions to expedite critical categories of projects that have been consistently found to not have significant environmental impacts, but for too long have been caught up in red tape and subject to lengthy delays. Together, these actions will make it easier to build the housing and infrastructure that localities want and that New Yorkers need.

"New Yorkers know all too well that the cost of rent is too high, and the only way to solve the housing crisis and bring down costs is simple: build more housing," Governor Hochul said. "That's why we need to cut red tape and make it easier to build housing in places like Troy faster and more affordably. When communities say yes to housing projects that won't have an environmental impact, we should fast-track these projects and let them build."

Sol Apartments, located at 1818 5th Avenue, is a $22 million project that entails the construction of a four-story, 55,000-square-foot building which includes 71 apartments and resident amenities such as a co-working space, lounge, community kitchen and indoor bicycle storage, with 30 percent of the apartments being available to individuals earning 65 percent Area Median Income. The building will be the first all-electric, zero-emission multifamily building in Troy. Sol will utilize geothermal heat pumps for space conditioning and domestic hot water, an air-tight building envelope, continuous insulation, triple pane windows, energy recovery ventilation and a rooftop solar photovoltaic array.

The project is receiving $1 million in funding from New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) through Round 3 of the Buildings of Excellence Competition and $2.6 million from Empire State Development (ESD) through RESTORE NY Round 7.

Today, it is too difficult to build housing and other critical infrastructure in New York: these projects can take as much as 56 percent longer to get from concept to groundbreaking compared to peer states. Longer projects equal higher costs, a challenge that is especially critical in the context of New York's housing crisis, where the only solution to high costs and scarce homes is to build more housing faster and more affordably than before. Red tape can increase the cost of building a unit of housing in New York City by as much as $82,000. Similarly, burdensome and duplicative requirements delay needed investment in clean water infrastructure, child care centers, and parks.

Helping Our Communities Build Housing

When Governor Hochul took office, she vowed to tackle the housing crisis and bring down costs by building the housing that New Yorkers desperately need so that more hard working households and families can afford a place to call home. However, too much critically-needed housing development is forced to navigate a web of red tape created by duplicative state mandates that can add unnecessary costs and years of needless delays, despite such housing development consistently being found to have no significant adverse environmental impacts. Studies have shown that State-mandated environmental review can slow down housing projects by an average of two years, and add hundreds of thousands of dollars of additional costs, at a time when New Yorkers can least afford to wait for the housing they need to continue to live and thrive in New York.

To speed up the development of housing to create a more affordable and sustainable New York, Governor Hochul has proposed to amend the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) to exempt from SEQRA review certain types of housing that have no significant adverse impacts on the environment. Housing exempted from SEQRA will still be required to comply with crucial State environmental protections governing water use, air quality, and protection of natural resources. The proposal does not supersede local zoning and other state and local permitting requirements, and exempted housing also must be located outside of flood risk areas in order to qualify

"New Yorkers know all too well that the cost of rent is too high, and the only way to solve the housing crisis and bring down costs is simple: build more housing"

Years of experience in both New York City and across the state, involving more than a thousand projects, has shown that virtually none of such projects ultimately were found to have significant environmental impacts, but nevertheless were still subject to lengthy and duplicative reviews. Governor Hochul's reforms will cut red tape to accelerate the delivery of much needed housing and reduce the cost of building in ways that are consistent with sustainable and environmentally-protective development, driving down the cost of housing and rents across the state while protecting our natural resources.

Accelerating Critical Infrastructure Projects That New Yorkers Depend On

Governor Hochul also has proposed to facilitate the speedier, cheaper delivery of a broad range of beneficial infrastructure projects that New Yorkers depend on. Specifically, the Governor has proposed to adjust SEQRA's classifications to exempt the following important categories of infrastructure that meet specific environmentally-protective criteria from additional SEQRA review to start serving New Yorkers faster:

• Clean Water Infrastructure: Critical water infrastructure that avoids impacts to natural resources.
• Green Infrastructure: Nature-based storm water management.
• Parks and Trails: Public parks and recreational bike/pedestrian paths
• Child Care: New or renovated child care centers

Governor Hochul's proposal would reserve these fast-track environmental review processes for only infrastructure that would be located at previously disturbed areas, protecting our natural resources and undisturbed lands, while strengthening our neighborhoods. The Governor's approach would yield tangible environmental benefits including improved air and water quality, and the preservation of critical habitats when compared to policies which encourage sprawl and unchecked development of natural areas.

Currently, SEQRA review timelines vary greatly across projects, creating unpredictability for local communities, project sponsors, and state agencies alike. To cut through the red tape, Governor Hochul has proposed to do the following to expedite review when SEQRA applies:

• Deliver faster decisions for local communities by setting clear timelines for environmental impact statements and driving accountability
• Streamline some environmental impact statements to cut down on review timelines for key categories of projects
• Modernize New York's permitting processes to save time and money for localities by improving processes and utilizing new technologies
• Expedite major state infrastructure projects to serve New Yorkers faster
• Support local communities through a new permitting academy

City of Troy Mayor Carmella Mantello said, "We appreciate Governor Hochul's focus on addressing New York's housing challenges and the need to move projects forward more efficiently. Here in Troy, we know how important it is to strike the right balance - encouraging smart, timely development while preserving strong environmental standards and local input. As these proposals move forward, we look forward to working collaboratively to ensure they meet the needs of our residents and support responsible growth in our community."

City of Rensselaer Mayor John DeFrancesco said, "Governor Hochul's 'Let Them Build' proposals just make sense. This agenda will enable the City of Rensselaer to expedite our growth and demonstrate the power of investing in our neighborhoods. When paired with the recently awarded Round 9 DRI, SEQRA reforms will cut the red tape and help in investing in our future faster. I thank her for undertaking this initiative."

City of Hudson Mayor Joseph Ferris said, "Housing and infrastructure are critical to the growth of New York's cities. Governor Hochul's work to expedite essential projects will greatly benefit Hudson. As we welcome more residents and visitors to the upper Hudson Valley, it is important that we build the housing that ensures both those who already live here and those who want to move here can afford to do so. I am proud to support these reforms that make our state more affordable and livable."

City of Watervliet Mayor Charles Patricelli said, "Governor Hochul's ambitious 'Let Them Build' agenda is good for Watervliet. By cutting red tape and ensuring that critical building and infrastructure projects can move forward, this common sense proposal helps communities and makes our state a better place to live and work for all. I'm grateful to Governor Hochul for spearheading these essential reforms."

City of Cohoes Mayor William Keeler said, "As a city full of industrial history, we know what it's like to be on the forefront of progress and building our future. The reforms put forward by the Governor ensure that the city of Cohoes is able to take timely advantage of previously disturbed areas and continue building its own future. Thank you Governor Hochul for working to cut red tape."

Rosenblum Development Corp. Principal Jeff Mirel said, "Sol Apartments has taken over four years to realize. In addition to all the challenges commensurate with building on a post urban renewal infill site, The Rosenblum Companies - like many in our industry - has faced double-digit inflation, supply chain issues, skilled labor shortages, tariffs, and more. That's why we appreciate Governor Hochul's efforts through her Let Them Build agenda to reduce the uncertainty, cost and prolonged timelines of the State's current SEQRA review for much needed new housing."

Habitat for Humanity Capital District Executive Director Christine Schudde said, "If we want to tackle our housing crisis, then we have to build more homes that are affordable for regular folks and families. That's why fixing New York's environmental review process is so important. Because today, that process too often becomes the thing that delays or halts affordable housing development. At Habitat, we believe that everyone deserves a decent place to live. Outdated regulations shouldn't stand in our way of delivering on that promise."

Contact the Governor's Press Office