Governor Kathy Hochul today hosted a community roundtable in Westchester with local leaders and elected officials from across the Hudson Valley to discuss the New York Housing Compact - the Governor's comprehensive strategy announced in the Fiscal Year 2024 Executive Budget to address New York's housing crisis and build 800,000 new homes in the next decade. Advocates, elected representatives, and business leaders voiced their support for the plan, which builds on the Governor's vision to make New York more livable, more accessible, and more affordable.
Business Council of Westchester President and CEO Dr. Marsha Gordon said, "Westchester County and New York State residents suffer from a chronic and growing shortage of workforce housing. Employers cannot compete to attract and retain talent for their workforce without attractive housing opportunities available to its prospective employees. This housing crisis threatens our economic future. The Business Council of Westchester commends Governor Hochul for her strong leadership in addressing this critical issue. The New York Housing Compact directly confronts this crisis unlike any of the past plans of her predecessors. The BCW recognizes that fundamental change can be difficult to implement. We commend the Governor for reaching out to business, labor, not-for-profit, and faith-based organizations in her effort to create desperately needed housing in our communities. The BCW looks forward to continuing to work closely with Governor Hochul to assure that her bold, forward-thinking plan is implemented."
Michael Romita, President and CEO of Westchester County Association said, "New York's housing crisis continues to be a serious impediment to economic growth and community vitality. It is harming our residents, workers, and businesses. The major culprit is an antiquated patchwork of local land use and zoning restrictions. This has placed New York at a competitive disadvantage to our neighboring states who have taken steps to modernize their laws. The Governor's Housing Compact is a bold step and has the support of businesses, nonprofits, and housing advocacy groups from across the state. We at the Westchester County Association call on the legislature to work with the Governor to pass housing reform by addressing the issue head-on."
Westchester County Executive George Latimer said, "We agree with the Governor that we need to provide more housing units in Westchester as part of the overall statewide need. Our task is to work closely with our local governments, using the tools available, to achieve these goals."
White Plains Mayor Tom Roach said, "Governor Hochul's Housing Compact takes on the complex and growing housing crisis in our state recognizing that it can't be resolved with a "business as usual" approach or by pretending it doesn't exist."
New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson said, "Well-planned housing growth strengthens communities, brings life and energy to downtowns, and is essential to the future of our economy, environment, and quality of life. I applaud Governor Hochul for her bold leadership in proposing a serious, comprehensive, and flexible framework for addressing New York's acute housing shortage, and look forward to collaborating with state and local partners in meeting this urgent challenge together."
Peekskill Mayor Vivian McKenzie said, "Lack of fair, adequate and/or affordable housing choices for all is a health emergency that effects all New Yorkers. As Mayor of a City, I know that we cannot solve this problem alone. The City is prepared to do its part to bring additional housing. I applaud the Governor's forward thinking and gathering of resources for municipalities and developers to bring New York additional fair housing options."
Newburgh Mayor Torrance Harvey said, "Thanks Governor Hochul for this historic housing initiative! Cities like Newburgh need workforce housing to attract and retain a new generation of families and build on important workforce development strategies. I look forward to working with the Governor to continue the progress."
Middletown Mayor Joe DeStefano said, "The Governor's multifaceted Housing proposal aims to spur the construction of 800,000 houses across the state and provides $250 million so local communities can improve infrastructure to support the additional homes. At a time when our state is experiencing such a large housing crisis, I encourage my colleagues from across the aisle to support the Governor's housing plan. Let's do what we can to keep New Yorkers in New York!"
Kingston Mayor Steve Noble said, "Governor Kathy Hochul lays out how we can build more housing in New York while also providing municipalities with support to do this work. Let's make sure this is part of the budget!"
Town of Ramapo Supervisor Michael Specht said, "Governor Hochul's proposed housing compact is a significant step towards ensuring that New Yorkers have access to safe, affordable, and sustainable housing. The plan's focus on leveraging public and private resources to meet our housing needs is exactly what our state needs right now."
New Paltz Supervisor Neil Bettez said, "Governor Hochul's Housing Compact takes the critical next step to stem the urgent housing crisis. This multi-faceted approach calls for the construction of 800,000 new homes over the next decade and provides hundreds of millions to assist with infrastructure and planning to support new housing production so that each municipality can meet the goals of the NY Housing Compact in their own way. This plan builds on the Governor's $25 billion comprehensive Housing Plan supports the creation or preservation of 100,000 affordable homes across the New York State. I support this policy and encourage my fellow elected partners to make this a reality."
New Paltz Mayor Tim Rogers said, "I appreciate the ongoing discussion about how we may best implement Governor Hochul's Housing Compact while being mindful of local governments and home rule. The need for more housing in New York, especially affordable housing, is undeniable. Adding new homes will not threaten what is great in so many NYS towns, villages, and cities, nor have an impact on public safety. In fact, adding more homes will strengthen our communities, local economies, and help us move towards more sustainable ways to live. The governor has set a goal to add up to 800,000 homes over the next decade and committed to investing $250 million to help local governments fortify existing water and sewer systems to accommodate this new housing. Here in the Village of New Paltz, we have already rezoned to encourage more density and to allow for ADUs. We look forward to working with Governor Kathy Hochul to accomplish our goals, to build out capacity for our infrastructure, so that all future families may live, work, and grow here in Ulster County."
Pace University President Marvin Krislov said, "As we prepare our students to be the next generation of New York's workforce, we know adequate, affordable housing will continue to be a priority. Pace University is proud to support Governor Hochul as she works to build a comprehensive strategy for expanding the housing supply across our state and especially here in Westchester County, and we're pleased to be a part of these important conversations that bring together the many stakeholders that are committed to finding solutions."
Tim Foley, CEO of The Building and Realty Institute of Westchester said, "Over several decades, the fragmented municipality-by-municipality land use system we built made it too easy to create barriers to housing in Westchester communities, to create delays for approvals, to pass the buck to other neighborhoods or other towns when it came to housing affordability, or to decline to update local zoning codes such that we are often trying to squeeze our 21st century needs into a tool designed for a mid-20th century lifestyle. It has simply been too easy for too long to avoid building the housing we need. In Westchester, our housing shortage comes with real costs, and those costs are borne by seniors, millennials, people of color, middle-class families, and others who struggle with rising rents and dwindling affordable home ownership options. The Governor's New York Compact plan is a bold solution that at its essence makes it clear that this is a shared problem and requires a shared response. Every community does not need to do the same things to address our housing shortage, but no community should be allowed to do nothing."
John Levy, CEO, SEEQC, Inc, Elmsford, NY said, "As a fast-growing chip manufacturing company, we know that housing that is affordable, convenient to our foundry and nearby to public transportation is critical to our ability to recruit and retain our employees over the long term. Governor Hochul's New York Housing Compact addresses these critical needs and will enable us to meet the growing demands of our quantum chip business."
Joe Kenner, CEO and President of Greyston said, "I applaud Gov. Kathy Hochul's efforts to tackle the state's housing challenges. Housing is a fundamental need that impacts an individual's ability to get to the next level, like finding employment and keeping that job. Many of our Open Hire® staff indicated housing as a significant obstacle to securing and maintaining a stable job. By making housing more accessible and affordable, this initiative can help our team members meet their basic needs, focus on their work, and contribute to the growth of our state's economy."
Harold King, President, The Council of Industry said, "Access to affordable housing is critical for Hudson valley manufacturers to recruit and retain the workforce necessary to compete in the global marketplace. Governor Hochul's commitment to help build 800,000 new homes statewide is an important step toward improving affordability and strengthening our workforce."
John Cooney, Executive Director, Construction Industry Council of New York State said, "The Construction Industry Council is very much in support of Governor Hochul's Housing Compact. It is imperative to understand that if both families and the workforce, the essential lifeblood of the Hudson Valley, can't afford to live here, our economy will die. Housing is an essential human right, and the Governor's proposal is a step in the right direction of increasing both the affordability and accessibility of our great state's Housing stock. I applaud the Governor for taking the initiative in addressing the current housing crisis."
Mike Oates, President and CEO, Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation said, "The need for more housing is a critical issue facing the Hudson Valley and NYS. HVEDC applauds Governor Hochul for taking a leadership role in identifying solutions and driving the conversation forward. We stand ready to assist developers and communities who want to build more housing."
Christa Hines, Executive Director, Hudson River Housing said, "Lack of affordable, workforce housing in the Hudson Valley and across the state has grown to a crisis level. Hudson River Housing applauds Governor Kathy Hochul's plan to add 800,000 new homes over the next decade! These homes will be vital for our families to continue to live, work, and play in the region."
Tom Wright, President and CEO of Regional Plan Association said, "RPA is proud to support the Governor's New York Housing Compact proposal. The Housing Compact will create the new homes we need to address our current housing crisis and invest in our future in a smart and sustainable way by encouraging more homes around transit, making sure that all municipalities add housing opportunities, and providing local governments with the resources and flexibility they need to make this work at the local level."
Richard Nightingale, President and CEO of Westhab, Inc. said, "We applaud Governor Kathy Hochul's bold new plan to address NY's housing crisis and build 800,000 homes over the next decade! New York Housing Compact makes affordable housing a top priority in building vibrant, thriving communities that work for all New Yorkers!"
Lucria Ortiz, President and CEO, Yonkers Family YMCA said, "As a YMCA that provides affordable housing to the Yonkers community, we are in full support of Governor Hochul's Housing Compact. We'd love to see our residents access stable, high quality housing that meets their basic needs. Stable housing is fundamental to their health and livelihood."
Maria Trusa, CEO, Formé Medical Center said, "I strongly believe that the New York Housing Compact is necessary to create balance and lift our economy. As a small business owner, we recognize the struggles that our own staff experiences finding affordable housing in Westchester County. An employee who is currently dealing with domestic violence at home, cannot leave her toxic environment due to her financial limitations in accessing housing. Also, as an employer, we recognize that if our employees cannot find affordable housing in a close proximity to work, our business also suffers limiting our ability to grow."
Susan Fox, President and CEO, White Plains Hospital said, "Having the ability to attract and retain qualified individuals and providing them with access to convenient housing options is vital to the health of our community. Over the past five years our workforce at White Plains Hospital has grown more than 30% to nearly 4,500 employees and we expect to hire hundreds more in the coming years to continue to meet the demand for routine, emergency, and advanced services."
Karen Haycox, Habitat NYC and Westchester said, "The Housing Compact is an important step toward ensuring every New Yorker has a healthy and affordable place to call home. The Governor's proposal sets necessary and achievable goals for housing production and offers local flexibility for municipalities to set their own courses to reach their housing targets. The Housing Compact also includes incentives for the creation of homes affordable to first responders and essential workers, and for the location of affordable housing close to transit corridors. These are smart decisions for our economies and the environment. All communities are affected by our State's housing affordability challenges so all communities must participate in overcoming them to build a more equitable New York."
Adam Bosch, CEO of Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress said, "Our leaders must encourage the construction of more housing for people at every income level if we hope to maintain community wellness and economic prosperity in the Hudson Valley. Gov. Hochul has correctly diagnosed the problem: The housing crisis across our region has pushed prices beyond what people can afford, exacerbated our workforce shortage, and compelled more than 100,000 people to move out of the region. Leaders at every level must collaborate on evidence-based solutions to speed up the funding, review and development of housing that meets our local and regional needs. At this moment, the health of our economy depends less on attracting new companies than our willingness to build sufficient housing for our workers, neighbors and children."
Kevin O'Connor, President and CEO, RUPCO, Inc. said, "We support Governor Kathy Hochul's NY Housing Compact - a bold plan to increase affordable housing and create more than 800,000 new homes over the next decade. The Governor's Executive Budget continues a $25 billion, five-year housing plan to create and preserve 100,000 affordable homes, including 10,000 homes with support services for vulnerable populations, and electrifying an additional 50,000 homes as part of the State's plan to electrify 1 million homes and make another 1 million electrification-ready. Funding includes $5.7 billion in State capital resources, $8.8 billion in State and Federal tax credits and other Federal allocations, and $11 billion to support the operation of shelters and supportive housing units and to provide rental subsidies. Additionally, the FY 2024 Executive Budget proposes a $250 million Infrastructure Support Fund, as part of the New York Housing Compact, to support projects that facilitate the construction of increased housing, such as sewer and water infrastructure, parking facilities that allow existing lots to be re-purposed, school infrastructure needs, and improvements to accommodate neighborhood growth and livability."
Annemarie Gray, Executive Director at Open New York said, "Policy failures got us into our unprecedented housing affordability crisis, and bold action from all levels of government can get us out of it. A mandate-based, statewide framework that ends exclusionary zoning practices, encourages dense housing in transit-rich areas, and ensures all neighborhoods do their part to increase housing opportunities is essential for addressing the depth of the crisis and increasing leverage for renters. It is long past time for our state to enact a framework like the New York Housing Compact."
Jolie Milstein, President and CEO of the New York State Association for Affordable Housing said, "Our housing system is simply not creating enough units to keep up with economic need, in large part because of outdated and exclusionary land use practices that prevent multifamily development in the neighborhoods that need it most. Governor Hochul's Housing Compact will incentivize affordable housing development, prioritize transit-oriented development, and install a system of accountability for local governments to reach housing growth targets. It's a transformative way to solve the housing and affordability crisis in the state - and every corner of New York must work together to get it passed this year."