Westchester County is locking horns with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) with $7.4 million in federal aid at stake.
The two entities are battling over the county”™s compliance with a 2009 settlement claiming that the county promoted discrimination by ignoring local zoning restrictions. As part of the settlement, the county has to build 750 units of affordable housing by August 2016.
County Executive Robert P. Astorino, who was not in office when the settlement was reached, has constantly been at odds with HUD since taking office in 2010.
In a letter to Astorino, HUD claims the county has failed to promote zoning for affordable housing and has failed to adopt legislation prohibiting landlords from rejecting tenants that receive Section 8 subsidies.
HUD is threatening to withhold $7.4 million in federal aid if the county does not comply by April 25.
The county executive”™s office claims that they have been ahead of schedule of the settlement”™s terms, and accused the federal government of trying to bully the county.
“HUD”™s latest action of unilaterally demanding that the county give up either its constitutionally protected rights or $7 million that it was promised two years ago shows that HUD has no regard or respect for fairness,” Edwin McCormack, communications director for Astorino said in a statement.
McCormack said that the county has supplied volumes of data to prove that zoning in Westchester is not exclusionary. The county has built 305 units since the settlement.
“The impasse is over HUD”™s refusal to accept the county”™s well documented conclusions,” McCormack said.
The county and HUD have butted heads in court before over the county refusing to adopt a law prohibiting landlords from rejecting Section 8 tenants, with a federal judge ruling against the county. An appeal is currently before the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
