Scarsdale Village Board Prepares to Adopt Fair and Affordable Housing Code

Scarsdale is finally ready to adopt new Village code that would support Westchester County’s mandate to provide 750 fair and affordable housing units, per a 2009 settlement agreement with the Department of Housing and Urban Development. A new law will likely be passed in Scarsdale that will require all future housing developers to provide at least one fair and affordable unit for every ten single units, or for every five to nine multi-family units. The fair and affordable units are to be marketed in accordance with the requirements, policies, and protocols established by the county. Furthermore, the exterior appearance of the affordable units must be compatible with all other units within the development. You can review the entire text of the recommended code here.

Three people approached the microphone to voice their opinions regarding the fair and affordable housing law during a hearing at the Scarsdale Board of Trustees meeting at Village Hall on Tuesday night. The board deferred the vote to allow time to consider the opinions of residents who came out to speak their minds.

Thus, if you’d still like to make a comment, it’s not too late. After delivering a complete review of the proposed amendments, Trustee Stacey Brodsky announced that a continuation of the public hearing is to resume during the subsequent meeting, which will be held on November 9th. Residents will again have the opportunity to speak their minds before the Board votes to adopt the recommended language into law.

Beatrice Underweiser represented the Scarsdale Forum’s Zoning and Planning Committee and voiced her organization’s support before she asked a question that turned the heads of a few board members.

“Who will pay for the monitoring?” Underweiser exclaimed. Under the new act, implementation and compliance will have to be monitored and it will not be done for free. A few of the Board members looked reluctant to take the question, but Brodsky came forth with a reassuring response. She stated that the developers and landlords will eventually foot the bill; but until then, Westchester County will be held responsible. Ultimately, the monitoring costs will not be coming out of Scarsdale’s budget.

Represented by Kit Rosenthal, the Scarsdale League of Women Voters also expressed their support of the proposed act. Their only concern was the marketing requirements for the units, as the League expressed their desire to make housing available to those who live and work in Scarsdale. The board did not have an immediate response for Rosenthal, and they may find this concern to be a larger issue than expected. In the section titled, “Affirmative Marketing,” the act reads as follows:

“The affordable units created under the provisions of this Article shall be sold or rented, and resold and re-rented during the required period of affordability to only qualified income-eligible households. Such income eligible households shall be solicited by the seller or lessor in accordance with the requirements, policies and protocols established by the County of Westchester and in accordance with the monitoring agency so designated pursuant to §310-116 of this chapter, so as to ensure outreach to racially and ethnically diverse households.”

Since the act requires the units to be marketed to racially and ethnically diverse households, a high majority of Scarsdale residents will not qualify for the new housing. This will surely be addressed on November 9th, as well as the Board’s replies to questions posed by local resident, Martin Kaufman, which were submitted in writing for further review.

So, why not come to the next meeting to express your opinions? There were less than ten seats filled by residents last night, so I’ll advertise this meeting right now. Scarsdale, a place that has a lacked low-income housing, is about to take a huge step towards complying with the terms of the settlement. This act has been a vital topic of discussion for all of Westchester County for over two years, and Scarsdale is two weeks away from a decision. Let them know what you think.

Here is the Scarsdale League of Women Voter's Statement that was read at the meeting:

Scarsdale League of Women Voters Statement on the Proposed Amendment of the Zoning Code relating to the provision of Fair and Affordable Housing October 2011

The League of Women Voters has a longstanding position in support of measures to increase the supply of housing in Scarsdale for a wider income range than now exists and therefore supports an affordable housing zoning code amendment. There remain certain provisions of this amendment that necessitate further comment from the LWVS.

We understand the proposed amendment of the Zoning Code relating to the provision of Fair and Affordable housing has been carefully reviewed and further clarified by the Planning Board and thereafter by the Board of Trustees with special notes for further clarification of the marketing and monitoring components. We also understand that this amendment will not limit FAH to Scarsdale residents and workforce but will be marketed broadly throughout the area. Our positions have historically included provisions for Scarsdale seniors, municipal and school employees and others on whose presence every community depends. We ask the Village to also continue to encourage affordable housing opportunities for Scarsdale residents and employees.

Author Michael Kanner is a graduate of Union College with a background in English and a passion for the written word. He worked at Scarsdale Golf Club as a tennis pro before offering his services to a private clientele, and he loves hearing constructive criticism from anyone willing to speak their mind. Michael can be contacted at [email protected]