As North Carolina House Democrats take another swing at sweeping housing reform, a Democratic senator is seeking to streamline environmental reviews to accelerate construction.
Sen. Woodson Bradley filed the “Let Them Build Act” on Thursday afternoon, days after House colleagues filed a bill titled “Relieving Housing Bottlenecks” to address the state’s affordable housing crisis.
For New Yorkers, the title may sound familiar. A bill with the same name and similar purpose is a sticking point in negotiations over the state budget. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul made reforming the 50-year-old State Environmental Quality Review Act a priority this year.
The New York legislation followed California Gov. Gavin Newsom signing a law last year exempting most urban infill housing from the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA.
Bradley’s bill is the leanest of the three, but it mirrors the deregulatory philosophy driving California’s enacted law and New York’s executive push.
Differences and Similarities
The North Carolina and New York bills center on cutting duplicative environmental review for qualifying residential projects. Bradley’s bill would eliminate separate state environmental documents when federal or local reviews already meet state standards. New York’s bill would reclassify certain housing projects as “Type II actions” — pre-determined to have no significant environmental impact.
Both bills share nearly identical carve-out language, stating they are not intended to override local zoning, weaken water or air quality standards, or bypass public notice requirements.
New York’s version is far broader in ambition and investment. Hochul’s agenda is embedded in a $25 billion, five-year Housing Plan, and environmental review delays add an estimated $82,000 per unit in New York City alone.
Bradley’s bill would require local housing authorities to create publicly accessible dashboards tracking permit review times, agency backlogs and project approval timelines. Authorities also would submit annual performance and funding reports to the General Assembly.
What’s Next with Let Them Build Act
The North Carolina bill will be assigned to a committee. How far it goes will depend on a Republican-controlled legislature viewing deregulation as a palatable path to building more housing. Previous broad reform attempts that stripped zoning control from local governments have failed — putting the House bill at risk.
Bradley’s bill will likely face opposition from environmental groups and local governments. Opposition to New York’s legislation offers a preview.
In Kingston, two hours north of New York City, the planning board warned the SEQRA changes could undermine responsible development. Kingston’s Common Council and Conservation Advisory Council echoed those concerns, each citing impacts on neighborhoods, infrastructure, and local environments.
Critics also objected to including the reforms in the state budget, which limited public debate. New York was already conducting a formal SEQRA regulatory update with months of public input. Pushing changes through the budget discussions would effectively override that process, critics noted.
Local opposition is not guaranteed. Kingston Mayor Steve Noble publicly backed Hochul’s plan, suggesting Bradley may find unlikely allies even where resistance emerges.