NEW YORK CITY—County Executive Robert P. Astorino announced late Tuesday that Westchester has surpassed the fundamental benchmarks of the 2009 housing settlement with the federal government.

Under the settlement agreement—reached by former County Executive Andrew Spano and the US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, Westchester has until Dec. 31 of this year to have financing and building permits in place for 750 units of affordable housing in 31 mostly white communities.

As of today, the county is over the benchmark with 790 units—40 more than required, and with another 100 units in the pipeline. Missing the deadline could have resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars of fines.

“We had to fulfill our obligations within seven years, and we exceeded them,” Astorino says. “We met our goals because we worked cooperatively with our cities, towns and villages. That approach allowed us to succeed and push back attempts by the federal government to bypass home rule and take over local zoning.”

Because of its progress, the county has told the US Attorney it doesn't think it is necessary for HUD to appoint a new monitor, who serves at the agency's pleasure. James Johnson, whose tenure as monitor dated back to the beginning of the settlement, resigned in August to run for the Democratic nomination for governor of New Jersey.

Should HUD appoint a new monitor, the county maintains the selection should be made by the incoming Trump administration. The county has also objected to HUD's seeking to eliminate the cap on the monitor's annual fee, currently $175,000 a year, particularly at a time when the settlement is winding down.

“The settlement's legal and financial obligations were never intended to last forever,” asserts Astorino. “As the Second Circuit of U.S. Court of Appeals said, 'At some point in time this litigation has to be ended.' ”

Tallying up the costs, the county has spent about $30 million more than the $51.6 million required under the terms of the settlement. In addition, the county has leveraged more than $152 million in other public funding, putting total subsidies at $233 million and the average taxpayer subsidy per settlement unit at approximately $290,000.

As a comparison, the 2016 median sale price in Westchester is $640,000 for a single family home, $357,750 for a condominium and $153,000 for a co-op, according to the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors.

Astorino says the key challenge to affordable housing in Westchester was and remains economics. For example, he explains, 16 sites were reviewed in Bronxville, but none were deemed feasible because the subsidies just from the county would have been more than $200,000 per unit.

About 400 of the settlement units are already occupied, with about one third as homeownership and two-thirds as rentals. Data from the applications show 35% of the households applying for the county's units identified as white, 35%  as African-American, 3% as Asian, 8% as multi-racial and 29% as Hispanic.

Westchester is the fourth most diverse county in New York (virtually tied with Manhattan; behind only Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx). In exceeding its obligations under the 2009 housing settlement, Westchester has put in place policies and plans that will help the county continue to work with local governments on affordable housing.

These initiatives include amending “Westchester 2025,” the county's long-range planning initiative, which provides a regional framework for the inclusion and creation of affordable housing; undertaking education and outreach campaigns with municipalities, developers and community groups regarding affordable housing; assembling and publishing resources that facilitate the development of affordable housing; assisting homebuyers; advertising existing homes and developments and promoting the county's model ordinance, the Planning Department's Housing website, and the Homeseeker website.

Through Homeseeker, the county can use data about the specific needs of families seeking affordable housing to ensure that future affordable housing developments meet the demands of those most in need.

NEW YORK CITY—County Executive Robert P. Astorino announced late Tuesday that Westchester has surpassed the fundamental benchmarks of the 2009 housing settlement with the federal government.

Under the settlement agreement—reached by former County Executive Andrew Spano and the US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, Westchester has until Dec. 31 of this year to have financing and building permits in place for 750 units of affordable housing in 31 mostly white communities.

As of today, the county is over the benchmark with 790 units—40 more than required, and with another 100 units in the pipeline. Missing the deadline could have resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars of fines.

“We had to fulfill our obligations within seven years, and we exceeded them,” Astorino says. “We met our goals because we worked cooperatively with our cities, towns and villages. That approach allowed us to succeed and push back attempts by the federal government to bypass home rule and take over local zoning.”

Because of its progress, the county has told the US Attorney it doesn't think it is necessary for HUD to appoint a new monitor, who serves at the agency's pleasure. James Johnson, whose tenure as monitor dated back to the beginning of the settlement, resigned in August to run for the Democratic nomination for governor of New Jersey.

Should HUD appoint a new monitor, the county maintains the selection should be made by the incoming Trump administration. The county has also objected to HUD's seeking to eliminate the cap on the monitor's annual fee, currently $175,000 a year, particularly at a time when the settlement is winding down.

“The settlement's legal and financial obligations were never intended to last forever,” asserts Astorino. “As the Second Circuit of U.S. Court of Appeals said, 'At some point in time this litigation has to be ended.' ”

Tallying up the costs, the county has spent about $30 million more than the $51.6 million required under the terms of the settlement. In addition, the county has leveraged more than $152 million in other public funding, putting total subsidies at $233 million and the average taxpayer subsidy per settlement unit at approximately $290,000.

As a comparison, the 2016 median sale price in Westchester is $640,000 for a single family home, $357,750 for a condominium and $153,000 for a co-op, according to the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors.

Astorino says the key challenge to affordable housing in Westchester was and remains economics. For example, he explains, 16 sites were reviewed in Bronxville, but none were deemed feasible because the subsidies just from the county would have been more than $200,000 per unit.

About 400 of the settlement units are already occupied, with about one third as homeownership and two-thirds as rentals. Data from the applications show 35% of the households applying for the county's units identified as white, 35%  as African-American, 3% as Asian, 8% as multi-racial and 29% as Hispanic.

Westchester is the fourth most diverse county in New York (virtually tied with Manhattan; behind only Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx). In exceeding its obligations under the 2009 housing settlement, Westchester has put in place policies and plans that will help the county continue to work with local governments on affordable housing.

These initiatives include amending “Westchester 2025,” the county's long-range planning initiative, which provides a regional framework for the inclusion and creation of affordable housing; undertaking education and outreach campaigns with municipalities, developers and community groups regarding affordable housing; assembling and publishing resources that facilitate the development of affordable housing; assisting homebuyers; advertising existing homes and developments and promoting the county's model ordinance, the Planning Department's Housing website, and the Homeseeker website.

Through Homeseeker, the county can use data about the specific needs of families seeking affordable housing to ensure that future affordable housing developments meet the demands of those most in need.