Modernizing SEQRA To Build What New Yorkers Need

Every day, New Yorkers struggle with rising utility costs, a worsening climate crisis, and a historic housing shortage that’s driving up rents. We can better protect our environment while making it easier, faster, and cheaper to address these issues.

SEQRA is the State Environmental Quality Review Act, a law passed in the 1970s. While SEQRA has played an important role in protecting us from environmental harms since it was passed, today it is often used to block the exact type of climate-friendly infrastructure and housing projects we need. SEQRA must be modernized to keep up with 21st-century climate needs.

SEQRA’s shortcomings don’t simply prevent progress on housing, transit, or costs – they are stopping New York from being able to take bold action to fight climate change. 

That’s why modernizing SEQRA is so vital.

Modernizing SEQRA means fast-tracking smart, environmentally-friendly projects and making sure that the paperwork process doesn’t go on indefinitely.

  • Affordable Housing

  • Clean Water

  • Childcare Centers

  • Green Infrastructure

  • Parks

  • Faster Timelines

Unlock NY's Future Coalition includes:

  • New York Building Congress

  • Westchester County Association

  • Catskill Center for Conservation and Development

  • New York Housing Conference

  • Long Island Housing Services

  • Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC)

  • Citizens Budget Commission

  • Community Preservation Corporation

  • Institute for Responsive Government Action

  • Citizens Housing & Planning Council

  • Enterprise Community Partners

  • American Institute of Architects New York (AIANY)

  • Hudson River Housing

  • Habitat for Humanity NYC and Westchester County

  • Climate Changemakers Brooklyn

  • Lantern Organization

  • Habitat for Humanity NYS

  • Long Island Housing Coalition

  • CNY Fair Housing

  • Long Island Builders Institute

  • The Building & Realty Institute of the Hudson Valley

  • Partnership for New York City

  • NYS Association for Affordable Housing

  • Long Island Association

  • Westhab

  • Leadership Now Project

  • Queens Economic Development Corporation

  • New York State Builders Association

  • Effective Transit Alliance

  • Association for a Better Long Island

  • Riders Alliance

  • Housing Rights Initiative

  • Abundance New York

  • Welcome Home Westchester

  • Long Island Homeless Continuum of Care Legislative Committee

  • Fair Housing Justice Center

  • Long Island Coalition for the Homeless

Unlock NY's Future Coalition has been convened by:

Interested in joining the coalition? Sign Up Below

We can’t let outdated processes choke our future.

It’s time to reform SEQRA to meet today’s challenges and Unlock NY’s Future.