GOP Lawmakers Applaud Affordable Housing Goal Met by Westchester

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — Republican lawmakers applauded County Executive Robert P. Astorino's announcement Dec. 27 that Westchester County has surpassed the benchmarks of its 2009 housing settlement with the U.S. government.

Astorino said the county beat its deadline, going over the benchmark with 790 units — 40 more than required. He also said there were another 100 units in the pipeline.

Minority Leader John Testa (R-Cortlandt, Peekskill and Yorktown) said continuing to promote affordable housing in Westchester — something everyone acknowledges is both needed and useful — would be a more positive and productive endeavor without the federal government’s interference.

In 2013, in an affordable housing "report card," Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Maurice Jones cited a 2004 Rutgers study, which estimates that the county would need nearly 11,000 affordable housing units to meet the region's needs, as a starting point.

“Under paragraph 7 of the Settlement, the County is obligated to ensure the development of “at least” 750 new affordable housing units that affirmatively further fair housing,” Jones wrote. “By its terms, this is a floor, not a ceiling.”

In 2009, the county settled a federal lawsuit brought in 2006 by the Anti-Discrimination Center of Metro New York that claimed Westchester failed to live up to its obligation to provide affordable housing and address issues of racial segregation in its housing markets. Whether Westchester had used federal block-grant funds for their stated purposes was at issue.

The suit eventually led to a $63 million settlement that required the county to see to it that 750 units of affordable housing were built in 31 of the county's predominantly white communities by 2016 and to market those units to the nine counties surrounding Westchester. The 'agreement' became turbulent in later years.

Last week Testa said the GOP lawmakers also hope that HUD will move on from its push to get the county to admit to exclusionary zoning on the part of municipalities.

Here's his complete statement:

The Republican Legislators are proud to stand with County Executive Astorino and our local communities in recognizing the completion of Westchester County’s obligations under the terms of the 2009 fair and affordable housing settlement. I applaud the County Executive, the Westchester County Planning Department and our municipal partners for not only meeting but exceeding the requirement to build 750 units of affordable Housing by the end of this year.

I am hopeful that the latest Analysis of Impediments document which has been arbitrarily rejected by HUD on 8 separate submissions will finally be accepted under a new federal administration.

Westchester County has always been and will continue to be a diverse, welcoming community. While critics of the County claim that Westchester was in violation of fair housing laws, in fact the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit said in a ruling issued in September of 2015 that 'there has been no finding, at any point, that Westchester actually engaged in housing discrimination.’

With this settlement behind us, I look forward to continuing the development of affordable housing in Westchester County because our residents need it and it makes our communities better. It will be a much more positive and productive endeavor without the federal government’s interference.

Republican lawmakers said for the future, if any developer has a proposal they would like to pitch to the Administration, the Legislator for that district would certainly try to facilitate.

The County Executive said the county's Homeseeker website, set up as part of the deal with the feds, would continue to be useful.

Through Homeseeker, the county can use data about the specific needs of families seeking affordable housing to ensure that future affordable housing developments meet the demands of those most in need," he said in his statement last week. "Interestingly, more people have indicated their interest in affordable housing opportunities in Yonkers and Mount Vernon, two communities not covered by the settlement, than any other places in Westchester, according to Homeseeker data."

Photo Caption-Republican Legislators with County Executive Astorino and Community Leaders following Tuesday’s announcement

SEE ALSO:

• Westchester Has Complied with Federal Affordable Housing
  
• Westchester County Exec Blasts HUD for Changing Terms of Settlement
  
• Westchester Hosts Fair and Affordable Housing Expo
  
• Astorino, Feds Continue Dispute Over Housing, Block Grants
• Appeals Court Rules HUD Can Reallocate $7.4M