Federal Monitor Nixes County Affordable Housing Implementation Plan

The federal monitor assigned by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to oversee Westchester County’s compliance with a mandate to construct 750 units of affordable housing has turned down the implementation plan submitted by the County on January 31st. James E. Johnson, the monitor, cited many issues with the County plan and returned it to County Executive Robert Astorino for revision.

In a letter that was received by Astorino on 2/10, Johnson ordered the County to meet with representatives of HUD from 2/16 to 3/2 and gave a deadline to resubmit the plan of 3/12/10.

Among the shortcomings in the plan listed by the monitor are:

• Concrete strategies to develop 750 affordable unit
   
• An allocation plan for the $51.6 million that the County is required to spend on land acquisition, infrastructure improvement, construction, acquisition and other development costs
   
• Benchmarks for the first six months – (since the County asked for extra time to submit the implementation plan, the Monitor wants the first six month benchmark to begin six months after October, 2009 when the original plan was due)
   
• A concrete timeframe for identifying and assessing potential properties for the development of the 750 units
   
• Definition of whom within the County government will be responsible for various tasks
   
• General information provided about sites under active consideration, including the estimated number of potential units, location category and the process used for identification and assessment. (The County had claimed that identifying properties could potentially drive up prices.)
   
• A clear strategy for how the County will employ carrots and sticks to encourage compliance by municipal governments
   
• A plan for ongoing reporting to the monitor about the development of affordable units
   
• A detailed plan about marketing, outreach and education efforts.

In Johnson’s letter he also states that he received comments on the implementation plan from the Anti-Discrimination Center, the group that initiated the lawsuit that charged the county with failing to use HUD grants to build affordable housing. Johnson cautioned that upon review of the ADC letter he could come back to the County with additional requests.

In response to the rejection of the plan, Ken Jenkins, the Westchester County Board Chairman said, “We have received notification regarding the implementation plan.  The federal monitor found some discrepancies in the submitted plan. The monitor identified some items that must be resolved.

What does the New York Times have to say about the plan? Read their opinion here.