Gov. Hochul is scheduled to deliver her budget message Wednesday and it is expected to contain funding to support various housing initiatives. On Jan. 10, Hochul announced The New York Housing Compact, a statewide strategy to address New York”™s housing crisis by building 800,000 new homes over the next decade. In her 2023 State of the State message, Hochul said she would work to support New York renters as well as homeowners.
“New York faces a housing crisis that requires bold actions and an all-hands-on-deck approach,” Hochul said when announcing the New York Housing Compact. “Every community in New York must do their part to encourage housing growth to move our State forward and keep our economy strong. The New York Housing Compact is a comprehensive plan to spur the changes needed to create more housing, meet rising demand, and make our state a more equitable, stable, and affordable place to live.”
A coalition of more than 35 members has been formed to promote pro-housing legislation that might be proposed in the state legislature. It’s known as New York Neighbors and is said to be the first statewide pro-homes coalition. It intends to get behind policies that would increase the housing supply.
One of the founding members of New York Neighbors is the Westchester County Association (WCA).
“New York”™s housing shortage is decades-long in the making and continues to be a serious impediment to economic growth and community vitality,” said Michael Romita, president and CEO of the WCA. “It is choking off upward mobility for our residents and is hurting our businesses.”
Romita noted that in her State of the State, Hochul recognized that New York”™s local land use policies are the most restrictive in the nation.
“We at the Westchester County Association join the call for bold, statewide solutions that address local zoning and land use restrictions which remain the root-causes of the crisis,” Romita said.
Also working with New York Neighbors is Tim Foley, CEO and executive vice president of the Building and Realty Institute, which launched the pro-housing Welcome Home Westchester campaign.
“New York”™s housing shortage didn”™t appear overnight, didn”™t happen by accident, and wasn”™t created by a powerful few,” Foley said. “Every community contributed over decades to a system that is falling far short of building the housing we need, negatively affecting employers, our local economy, seniors, millennials, working families, and communities of color. That means every community needs to be part of the solution. We are proud to join New York Neighbors because of our common belief that our housing crisis is a shared problem that requires a shared response.”
