Westchester County has a diverse mix of cities, towns, and villages. Many of these municipalities have taken steps to create affordable housing within their jurisdictions through zoning measures including inclusionary zoning, density bonuses, and other support for the development of such housing. This county’s interest is to support these measures and will provide information through this Web site to assist municipalities with their efforts. If the resource is not currently available on these pages, contact us at .
Fair and affordable housing development in the county ranges from small one- to four-family homes to multi-family apartment buildings. Some properties may have been new construction, while others were rehabilitated residential properties; and still others are an adaptive reuse of an existing structure that may have been built for an entirely different initial use. They all go through the local municipal planning and review process. Most developments begin with a piece of land and a review of local zoning.
The county has developed Model Ordinance Provisions to assist municipalities with the development of fair and affordable housing units. Within these provisions are definitions to standardize the conversation of fair and affordable housing around the county for developers and prospective residents in need. Also included are provisions for inclusionary zoning, occupancy standards, agenda consideration and many other topics.
As many municipalities have already created fair and affordable housing units, the county provides a fair and affordable housing gallery of completed developments by municipality. These listings are for information purposes only and do not purport the availability of any units at this time. Information on available units can be found on the county’s Homeseeker page including floor plans, community and school information, and applications. Affordable units available for both rent and sale are listed and interested home seekers can sign up to receive information alerts as new units become available in addition to fliers on open houses and housing counseling services.
Thirty-one Westchester municipalities are eligible under the housing settlement agreement signed in 2009 for the development of any of the 750 required affordable affirmatively further fair housing units the county must create before Dec. 31, 2016. Information on the agreement, implementation plan, analysis of impediments, and other relevant information is available on this Web site.
To qualify under the settlement agreement, the units must be priced for rent or sale to income-eligible households in accordance with Area Median Income Limits set by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development each year, and adjusted for household size. To encourage the greatest opportunity for the submission of applications from diverse households, the units must also be marketed in accordance with the requirements of the Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing Plan for developments and have deed restrictions filed on the units to perpetuate the affordability for a minimum of fifty years. Sample deed restrictions are also available on the Sample Documents page.
In some cases, developers will propose housing that will be funded through federal, state, or county funding programs, or a mix of these programs. Each of the funding programs available may have specific affordability requirements that may supersede local practices or ordinances.
Anyone interested in living or seeking housing in Westchester County should be aware of their right to live in the home of his or her choice that he or she can afford. No one involved in a housing search may discriminate against applicants for housing.