It’s an appeals board, not a magic wand. The big news Tuesday was that Zohran Mamdani will be New York City’s next mayor.  The other big news was that member deference, the tradition of the City Council voting based on the opinion of the local member on land use issues, is dead.  Except, it isn’t completely dead.  Voters approved three ballot measures that weaken the City Council’s hold on certain housing project approvals.  One of the proposals creates housing fast-track options that bypass City Council approval. Another creates a condensed review process for “modest” housing projects that does the same. […]

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