Housing Task Force

Housing Task Force Meeting # 43 Minutes Date: Thursday, January 22, 2026 @7:00 pm Location: Zoom Executive Session Attendees: Chester Edwards, Monica Fonseca, Joan Grangenois-Thomas, Kathy Pandekakes, Aldo Vitagliano Absent: Arley Arno, Jane Lippman, Catrina Shivers, Andrew Weiss, Ursula Winchell. The meeting opened at 7:03pm Summary Project Updates and Team Progress The meeting began with apologies from Monica for not completing assigned tasks due to personal circumstances, and she planned to catch up over the weekend. Aldo Vitagliano and Kathy Pandekakes discussed their progress on a report, noting they had not done much yet but intended to focus on it soon. Housing Task Force Progress Report The Housing Task Force discussed progress on their report, with Chairman Edwards sharing an initial draft of the veteran and senior section. Monica Fonseca and Joan Grangenois-Thomas acknowledged delays in their contributions due to personal circumstances. The group agreed to consolidate data and narratives across sections, with Vice Chair Vitagliano suggesting local preference should be emphasized in affordable housing projects. The group also discussed the need for better ADU legislation and addressed challenges with building code enforcement and certificates of occupancy. Joan Grangenois-Thomas recommended using clearer language in the report, suggesting "senior and veteran affordable housing" instead of "need for senior and veteran affordable housing." Affordable Housing Progress Report Planning The group discussed how to present their affordable housing recommendations and emphasizing the importance of workforce housing in Port Chester's revitalization. The team acknowledged that while they've made progress in recent years, they need to complete their report by early April for board presentation, with Chairman Edwards noting they may need to request an extension if not finished on time. Port Chester Housing Affordability Analysis The group discussed creating illustrations to demonstrate housing affordability in Port Chester, with Monica Fonseca working with Planning Director Greg Cutler to analyze Redfin data and calculate required incomes for affordable housing. They agreed to include both home purchase and rental affordability metrics, with Kathy Pandekakes noting that rental information might be available from Arley Arno’s workshops. Vice Chair Vitagliano highlighted the importance of addressing the quality of workforce housing in Port Chester, suggesting potential solutions like grants or improved building department practices. Housing Policy Data Review The team discussed their assignments for their housing policy project, with Chairman Edwards confirming the distribution of topics among team members. They reviewed data on housing costs, with some questioning the accuracy of the rental figures presented by Chairman Edwards, who had sourced them from Zillow, Rent Cafe, and the Census Bureau. The team agreed to verify the actual rental rates in Port Chester, as Kathy Pandekakes noted that even HUD fair market rents for 2024 were higher than the reported figures. Port Chester Affordable Housing Strategy The group discussed strategies for maintaining affordable housing in Port Chester, focusing on gathering accurate rental data to support their efforts. Vice Chair Vitagliano suggested contacting the assessor's office, while Kathy Pandekakes proposed asking a realtor for assistance. They agreed to use a range of numbers to reflect varying quality and conditions. The team decided to structure their final report with an overview for each section, which would be combined into an executive summary. Joan Grangenois- Thomas suggested Chairman Edwards meet individually with team members to ensure readiness. Chairman Edwards offered to create a format for the final report. They planned to continue working on their individual tasks and schedule a final meeting to pull everything together. Final Report Timeline Discussion The team discussed the timeline for completing a final report due in April, with rough drafts expected by February 12th and final compilation by the end of March. Chairman Edwards agreed to send out a timeline, with target dates serving as meeting checkpoints. The group decided that the final document needing to be submitted to the village by March 20th for distribution at the Board of Trustees meeting. Trustee Report Timeline Planning The team discussed the timeline for a report that needs to be submitted to trustees on April 6th. They agreed to set a draft deadline of February 12th and a final deadline of March 20th, with a workshop planned between those dates. Kathy Pandekakes warned against too many people working on the final report, suggesting that three experienced people should handle it to avoid delays, and offered to help or find someone on staff who could assist. Task Force Report Compilation Timeline The group discussed the timeline and process for compiling individual reports into a final Task Force report. Chester agreed to collect final versions of each section by February 12th, after which Joan, Chester, and Monica will combine them into a single document. They decided to avoid using the term "final" to allow for potential additions or edits and planned to hold a workshop two weeks later if needed. Chairman Edwards committed to checking in with the absent two groups individually to ensure they were on track to meet the deadline. Meeting ended at 7:50pm by unanimous motion from Aldo Vitagliano and seconded by Kathy Pandekakes. Next steps • All section teams need to submit their "best effort final version" (not labeled as draft) of their report section to Chair Edwards by February 12th, and final by March 20th, and be prepared for check in meetings on February 12th and March 20th. • Chair Edwards will reach out to each team to check on their progress and ensure they're on track to meet the February 12th deadline, send out updated timelines to all team members, and schedule workshop meeting between Feb 12th & March 20th to review final report. • Chester, Monica and Joan: Combine submitted sections into a complete report after February 12th • Kathy: Provide data support staff person to help with fact-checking and data validation for the combined report • Monica Fonseca will ask Greg Cutler to provide current rental price data to supplement home price data • Chester: Change "Executive Summary" to "Overview" in report format Chairman Edwards will deliver completed report to the Village Clerk by March 23rd for distribution before April 6th Board meeting. NEXT MEETING WILL NOT BE PUBLIC AND WILL INSTEAD BE EXECUTIVE SESSION AND TBA.