300 Municipalities Apply for Pro-Housing Certification

EAST HAMPTON—New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Friday that 335 New York municipalities have launched applications to be certified as Pro-Housing Communities, 162 of which have already been certified, including major cities in every region of the state.

The governor made the announcement while touring Three Mile Harbor Housing in East Hampton, a recently certified Pro-Housing Community. The Pro-Housing Communities Program, launched by the governor last year as part of a package of Executive Actions to increase the housing supply, recognizes municipalities for their commitment to housing growth. As part of the FY25 Enacted Budget, Hochul secured an agreement to make the Pro-Housing Community certification a requirement to be eligible for up to $650 million in state discretionary funding.

“We are confronting New York’s housing crisis head-on by working with local leaders to grow our housing supply, build new homes and make New York more affordable for everyone,” Gov. Hochul said. “More than 300 communities across the state, including rural towns, villages and major cities in every region, are unlocking housing growth to ensure families have access to quality homes – supporting residents, building our economy and helping our communities reach their full potential.”

The scoreboard for the Mid-Hudson region is that a total of 39 municipalities have submitted letters of intent and 19 others have been certified as a “Pro-Housing Community.”

The following are the municipalities in the Mid-Hudson region that have sent Letters of Intent to the state:

Town of Amenia

City of Beacon

Town of Carmel

Town of Cornwall

Town of Cortlandt

Town of Crawford

Village of Croton-on-Hudson

Town of Fallsburg

Town of Greenburgh

Village of Greenwood Lake

Village of Haverstraw

Village of Kaser

City of Kingston

Village of Kiryas Joel

Town of Liberty

Town of Mamaroneck

Village of Mamaroneck

Town of New Paltz

Village of New Paltz

City of New Rochelle

City of Newburgh

Village of Nyack

Village of Ossining

City of Peekskill

Town of Pine Plains

Village of Port Chester

City of Port Jervis

City of Poughkeepsie

Town of Poughkeepsie

Town of Ramapo

Town of Red Hook

Village of Red Hook

Town of Rockland

Town of Shandaken

Village of Sleepy Hollow

Village of Warwick

City of White Plains

Town of Woodstock

City of Yonkers

The full list of communities that have received certification can be found on the New York State Homes and Community Renewal website.

New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, “Cities, towns, and villages across New York are recognizing that housing and a healthy economy go hand-in-hand. In the coming years, the innovative Pro-Housing Communities Program will undoubtedly help boost our housing supply and create the types of strong communities that make a real difference in people’s lives. We’re proud that more than 160 localities have been certified to date and the list continues to grow—it means Governor Hochul’s commitment to making New York more affordable and better place to live is a goal shared by our local partners across the state.”

In 2023, Gov. Hochul signed an Executive Order to establish the Pro-Housing Community Program to recognize and reward municipalities actively working to unlock their housing potential and encourage others to follow suit. Localities that have successfully unlocked housing growth or committed to taking important steps to support housing, such as by streamlining permitting and adopting pro-housing policies, and that have applied and submitted critical housing and zoning data to the state, will receive a certification from New York State Homes and Community Renewal that will make them eligible for up to $650 million in state discretionary funding. The discretionary funding programs include: the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, administered by the Department of State; NY Forward, administered by the Department of State; Regional Council Capital Fund, administered by Empire State Development; New York Main Street, administered by New York State Homes and Community Renewal; Market New York capital grants, administered by Empire State Development; Mid-Hudson Momentum Fund, administered by Empire State Development; and Public Transportation Modernization Enhancement Program, administered by the Department of Transportation.

The New York Forward and Downtown Revitalization Initiative programs opened the applications for its next funding rounds Tuesday, Aug. 6 and applications close on Friday, Oct. 18 at 4:00 p.m. Municipalities must be certified by HCR as a Pro-Housing Community in order to receive a grant award through these programs

HCR is reviewing program applications on a rolling basis and will provide approval or denial within 90 days of submission. Application requirements and materials are available on the program at: https://hcr.ny.gov/phc