Welcome Home Westchester Campaign Challenges Municipalities to Tackle Housing Crisis

YONKERS—The Welcome Home Westchester campaign launched an opening salvo and sought to reignite the debate around building the housing the county needs in advance of the 2025 legislative session in Albany at a press conference earlier this week here.

At a press conference held on Monday, Sept. 23 in front of 70 Pier St. a multi-family transit-oriented development steps from the Ludlow Metro North Station, Welcome Home Westchester campaign speakers challenged all city, town, and village elected officials throughout Westchester to not wait for state action but instead to commit to taking specific actions to address the housing shortage and an affordability crisis which threatens the health of the local economy and the vibrancy of Westchester County’s communities.

The speakers further called on residents and activists in every Westchester city, town, and village to insist that their communities be part of the housing solution, and not wait for action from Gov. Kathy Hochul and the State Legislature, nor to let only a dozen or so communities monopolize the economic benefits, the possibilities of infrastructure funding, and the moral imperative to make Westchester a welcoming community for all who wish to live and work in the county.

The campaign unveiled its “5 in 2025” agenda, highlighting five actions that municipalities can take on their own to remove barriers to building the housing needed. Each policy is already making a difference in suburban communities around the country—including those that have been productive partners in building more housing in the county, Welcome Home Westchester officials stated.

The “5 in 2025” options that cities, towns, and villages can take to address the housing shortage include: produce a Housing Action Plan; create a fast-track environmental review for sustainable, energy-efficient housing and transit-oriented development; promote Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and Transit-Oriented Development (TODs); establish a “Core Curriculum” for volunteer Land Use Board member training and use the new state-provided tools and become a Pro-Housing Community.

Among the speakers at the press conference included New York State Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg (95th Assembly District), who led efforts to carefully and thoughtfully increase the supply of badly-needed housing as Town Supervisor for Ossining. Levenberg, who is a member of the Assembly Committee on Housing, offered her thoughts on what progress is possible in Albany.

Other speakers included Michael Romita of Westchester County Association, Nance Shatzkin of Croton Housing Network, Dr. Kevin Middleton of Acts Church in Yonkers, and Tim Foley of the Building & Realty Institute.

Michael Romita, President and CEO of Westchester County Association said: “New York’s housing crisis, particularly acute in our suburbs, continues to undermine the health of our economy and the vibrancy of our communities. It will not be magically wished away. Rather, we need our local towns and villages to see past the NIMBY rhetoric and to work with us. Welcome Home Westchester’s ‘Five in ’25’ agenda is positive and straightforward. It asks each community to choose a single action to encourage more housing in a way that makes sense for them. Not everyone can do the same thing, but everyone should do something.”

Kate Slevin, Executive Vice President of Regional Plan Association (RPA) said: “Westchester County’s steep housing crisis affects everyone. From young families trying to afford their first home to long-standing businesses looking to grow their workforce, what happens in Westchester has both local and regional implications. We are proud to be part of Welcome Home Westchester and to help release the “Five in 2025″ strategy, with actions every community can take to increase their housing stock. We encourage all municipalities in Westchester to roll up its sleeve and pick at least one of the five recommendations to help address the housing crisis.”

Tim Foley, CEO of the Building & Realty Institute (BRI), said: “In the world of housing, the buck stops at the local level. Mayors, Supervisors, Trustees, Councilmembers and the dedicated volunteers who make up local land use boards have the ultimate authority on what gets built where, and whether their neighborhoods remain mired in the outdated and inefficient processes that led to the housing shortage crunch or will be welcoming to all who want to live and work here. With our ‘Five in 2025’, we’re highlighting the policies that we know work because they are already working in one of Westchester’s diverse communities without upsetting quality of life or overtaxing our infrastructure. The time to act is now.”

HGAR President Carmen Bauman, who attended the press briefing, said, “Our region has a tremendous opportunity to address Westchester County's housing needs and strengthen our communities for the future. HGAR is proud to support the Welcome Home Westchester campaign and its 'Five in 2025' initiative, which offers practical solutions to increase housing options for families, essential workers, and all who make our communities thrive. By working together, we can ensure Westchester and the Hudson Valley remain a vibrant, inclusive place for everyone.”

The event concluded with a call to action, urging all members of the community and families who are concerned by the crisis to come together and commit to the “5 in 2025” agenda. The Welcome Home Westchester campaign believes that with concerted effort and community engagement, Westchester County can tackle the housing crisis and build a more inclusive and vibrant future for all its residents and those who wish to live here.

The Welcome Home Westchester campaign is a multi-stakeholder advocacy effort consisting of business and nonprofit leaders, academics, think tanks, faith leaders, and community advocates working together to drive a new public conversation around fixing the housing shortage in Westchester County.