by: Bria Donohue
At AIA New York’s 2026 Honors and Awards Luncheon, we had the pleasure of hearing from City Council Speaker Julie Menin about the Council’s forward-looking, proactive housing agenda. The initiative, Small Lots, Big Impact, is focused on reforms to NYC Construction Codes aimed at unlocked opportunities to develop housing on small lots between 15 and 27 feet wide, where current regulations limit design strategies that pencil out. An initial analysis uncovered 2,850 vacant or underbuilt small lots that have the potential to create 35,000 new units of housing citywide with legislative reforms centered on adding flexibility to optimize the design of quality housing units on small lots.
Alongside the policy action, Speaker Menin announced the creation of a new Council Advisory Group on Housing Affordability made up of subject matter experts, advocates, organized labor, and community organizations. This group will help guide the Council’s strategy to tackling the housing crisis. AIANY looks forward to continuing to partner with Speaker Menin and the City Council to advance practical, actionable policy solutions to deliver quality housing and a vibrant built environment.