Housing Task Force

HOUSING TASK FORCE MEETING #8 MINUTES Thursday, March 14, 2024 7pm Village Conference Room Attendees: Arley Arno, Chester Edwards, Monica Fonseca, Jane Lippman, Kathy Pandekakes, Catrina Shivers, Ursula Winchell, Aldo Vitagliano Also in attendance as non-member: Joan Grangenois-Thomas Absent: Margaret Adamson, Lisa Cordasco, Andrew Weiss, Luis Yumbla Action: Motion passed to open meeting at 7:02pm made by Aldo and seconded by Ursula. Motion passed to accept 2/29 minutes made by Aldo, and seconded by Ursula. Attendance handout and emailed articles handout were discussed. Minutes format was discussed that minutes should be a short summary. Future plans: Next meeting (Thurs. March 28) guest speaker will be Howie Ravikoff, a local landlord to discuss the rental market, ETPA units, history on rental increases in the Village, etc. If there are questions that members want to send in advance let Chester know. Landlord Tenant Assistance Program (LTAP) which allows landlords of affordable units of 8 units or under (60-80% Westchester County AMI) to apply for up to $25,000 per unit toward capital improvements, could be topic discussed with Mr. Ravikoff. Suggestions of future speakers: Louis Larizza builder of affordable housing buildings for seniors within the Village. Trustee John Allen’s father whom was part of deliberations on Mitchell Lama apartments State Senator Shelley Mayer regarding state programs/incentives for housing. Greg Cutler whom is new Planning Director. Joan Grangenois-Thomas’ role on committee was discussed as more of a liaison and resource with the Village. Question was raised on how the Village will manage affordable units that are required in Form-Based Code (FBC). It’s unclear what mechanism has been put in place. BOT policy is 10% of affordable rental units at 60% Westchester County AMI. Are there any developments receiving additional subsidy funding? Housing Needs Assessment notes the lack of Village staff to manage affordable housing. New Rochelle has staff helping to manage housing, and also vendors, depending on developers’ sources of additional subsidy funding. It depends on developer subsidy funding, and how it was written into the zoning code. Planning has said the affordable units will be managed by Westchester County. How is the affordability requirement written into the zoning code? Monica will follow up with Greg Cutler and Curt Lavalla for further information. Proposed Resolution to the BOT was discussed. One member felt it was important for Housing Task force to send message that any proposed change in zoning code should not eliminate approved affordable units. Another member feels it’s premature to put out a resolution that weighs in on another committee’s work before our committee fully understands our task and direction, and any recommendation made by the FBC committee will not include changes to already approved projects. Resolution was withdrawn for now. Knowing how affordable units will be managed, and how the requirement is written into the Form-Based Code, will determine how we continue our work. Keeping the management of those units in-house gives us more power, and makes it more locally driven. Question was raised on how to define local? Would there be a residency requirement, or must the applicant work within the Village? There would be much to consider. Action: Motion made, and passed, to change our schedule for the months of July and August to only one meeting. We can decide at the next meeting whether to remove the first or second meeting in those summer months. Question was raised as to how much communication is BOT expecting from the Task Force? Joan Grangenois-Thomas responded that there is no specific expectation, but if something comes up that is time-sensitive, like a new state program for example, the Task Force can reach out to the BOT to advise. A Rent Commission or rental office may be something that could be created, similar to what Connecticut does. How many restricted units do we have already in the Village? Does the Village have 10% restricted rental units? Is it calculated on the total of all rental units, or only specific types of rental units? Are there ownership programs that we should look into? Condos have fallen out of favor. Mitchell Lama is sort of a hybrid of co-ops, and New York State is looking to revisit Mitchell Lama. New York State treats co-ops and condos as securities, so there are specific rules on conversion to co-op, but conversions have dropped dramatically. It’s easier to obtain financing for rentals versus condos because the income stream for rentals is quicker and less risky than having to sell individual units. There are ownership programs, where Public Housing Authority properties have been turned into tenant- owned properties. HDSW had a successful first-time home buyer program before the pandemic, and they hope to start it up again. Westchester Residential Opportunities (WRO) has that program too, where people save money for a down payment, and have their saved money matched. The IDA recently did a presentation of a village-wide economic study that they funded. Their findings showed that people move to the village but when their children are school ready, they move. When the Voting Rights Committee studied the Village population, they found that many moved around the Village before settling within the Village. Motion to close made by Aldo, seconded by Ursula, and passed at 8:05pm. Next meeting Thursday, March 28, 2023 7pm at Village Conference Room.