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Community Feedback Needed to Assess Affordable Housing Needs and Community Development Goals within the Urban County Consortium

WPCNR COUNTY CLARION LEDGER. From the Westchester County Department of Communications. March 16, 2024:

The Westchester County Department of Planning is asking for the public’s help in crafting its Consolidated Plan, a five-year plan to assess affordable housing needs and development goals in the 31 municipalities that make up the Urban County Consortium.

Once completed, the plan helps to inform the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on how federal funding should be allocated through the CDBG, HOME and ESG programs over the next five years.

To ensure the success of the County’s next Consolidated Plan, the Planning Department is asking for community feedback from residents, business owners, nonprofits and public housing authorities through online surveys.

Commissioner of the Westchester County Planning Department Blanca Lopez said: “The County receives $5 million annually from HUD to invest in communities that belong to the Urban County Consortium.  Participation from the public is extremely important as it will help us shape our priorities around housing, public services, public improvements and economic development for the next five years. We look forward to receiving community feedback as to how the County should direct its federal funding.”

Every five years, Westchester County develops a new Consolidated Plan. The Plan defines strategies to address housing, community development needs and current market conditions for all of the municipalities in the Urban County Consortium. Residents can participate the following ways:

·         Complete a survey as a community resident

·         Complete a survey as a stakeholder (nonprofit organization, business owner or public housing authority)

Below are the communities that make up the Westchester Urban County Consortium:

Ardsley

Bedford

Briarcliff Manor

Bronxville

Cortlandt

Croton on Hudson

Dobbs Ferry

Elmsford

Greenburgh

Hasting on Hudson

Irvington

Larchmont

Lewisboro

Mamaroneck Town

Mamaroneck Village

Mount Kisco

New Castle

North Salem

Ossining Town

Ossining Village

Peekskill

Pelham Village
Pleasantville

Port Chester

Rye Brook

Rye Town

Scarsdale

Sleepy Hollow

Tarrytown

Tuckahoe

Yorktown

The Westchester County Planning Department is working with Civitas, LLC, a community development firm to develop its Consolidated Plan.

Visit the Planning Department’s website for more information.

 

(Editor’s Note: In the first year of County Executive George Latimer’s ascending to the County Executive position, in 2018  the County coed a snducted a study, the Westchester County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment in the entire county that concluded there was a need for over 11,703 Affordable Housing residences in the county.

In his 2024 State of the County Address Thursday evening, 

Latimer said: “Since our administration first took office in 2018, affordable housing – and the availability of affordable housing throughout the County – has remained a top priority.”

Since 2018, nearly six thousand units of affordable housing have been built, gone under construction, or are in the pipeline for the future. Additionally, Latimer highlighted the Affordable Housing Investment Flex Fund, a new, affordable housing production tool which was created to help increase the number of units across Westchester.)