November 22, 2004

County Bridges Means Gap on Division Street
in Hastings-on-Hudson

Board Passes Legislation to Enable Village
to Construct 14 Affordable Units

The County Board of Legislators has paved the way for the construction of fourteen affordable rental units at Warburton Avenue and Division Street in Hastings-on-Hudson by authorizing nearly $750,000 in bonds for the project. The money will be used to acquire .62 acres of land in that Hudson River village and to cover infrastructure costs such as sidewalks, sewers and the construction of a public plaza.

The newly approved project, part of the Board’s continuing effort to provide affordable housing in Westchester, is geared toward middle income households -- those with incomes at or below 50% -60% of the County’s median income of $63,582.

“We’re committed to being proactive about providing our middle income earners the opportunity to live and raise their families in Westchester County,” said Mike Kaplowitz, Chair of the Board’s Budget and Appropriations Committee that, along with the Board’s Housing Committee, recommended the development to the full Legislature.

Lois Bronz, Chair of the Housing Committee, stressed the importance of affordable housing, saying “We can’t let Westchester continue to lose such a vibrant, contributing sector of our communities—our teachers, firefighters, police, older residents, young people, support personnel for our county’s varied corporations-- to other counties.” Bronz continued, “These are people who provide vital services to our communities and often have deep roots here. The Division Street project is part of the County’s ongoing effort to bridge the widening means gap by making it financially feasible for local municipalities to find ways to keep our hard working families here and to maintain the County’s economic diversity.”

Unlike some disturbing patterns happening in other Westchester municipalities where the developer can buy his way out of a commitment to include affordable housing in a new project, County Legislator Tom Abinanti, who represents Hastings, pointed out that, “We structured this deal to make sure that in exchange for the County’s financial support, the units must continue to be classified as affordable housing for at least forty years or else ownership reverts back to the County.”

The Particulars of the “Division Street” Legislation

At its November 22, 2004 meeting, the Board authorized several pieces of legislation to move the Division Street project forward:
• The Board authorized the County to enter into an Inter-Municipal Agreement with the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson in connection with the Housing Implementation Fund, one of the County’s programs created to stimulate the production of affordable housing by providing local municipalities funds to finance infrastructure improvement costs associated with an affordable housing development. The Board authorized the issuance of a Bond Act in the amount of $345,000 for costs for infrastructure improvements such as sidewalks, curbs, sewer, storm drains, and, construction of a public plaza related to the cost of constructing the Division Street development.
• In accordance with the County’s New Homes Land Acquisition Fund, the Board authorized a Bond Act in the amount of $390,000 to purchase .62 acres for the development site at 422 Warburton Avenue which it will subsequently convey to the developer for $1.