The Westchester County Board of Legislators has signed off on the county executive’s plan to turn another Harrison condominium unit into affordable housing as it strives to meet a Dec. 31 deadline set in a 2009 settlement to provide hundreds of affordable units in Westchester’s most affluent communities.
On Sept. 12, 15 county legislators voted unanimously to fund the purchase of six properties throughout Westchester—including units in North Castle, Harrison, Yorktown, Lewisboro and Somers—to convert them into 10 affordable housing units.
According to Ned McCormack, spokesman for the county, Westchester needs building permits for about 103 more units by the end of December to meet terms of the settlement. “We’re on target to meet the goal,” he said.
In Harrison, the county plans to buy a one-bedroom, 540-square-foot condo unit at 70 West St. in the Harrison House complex. The county board has appropriated $197,000 to purchase the unit and another $27,775 for settlement fees and other costs. The unit would then be sold for about $135,000 to a household eligible for affordable housing. The Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, AFFH, requires that the household’s income is less than 80 percent of the area median income; in Harrison, the area median income is just more than $105,000.
The unit would be required to “remain affordable for a minimum of 50 years,” according to the land acquisition funding request document.
Last year, the county converted a similar unit in the same development into an affordable housing unit. That two-bedroom, 800-square-foot condo cost the county $296,355, and is available for approximately $175,000.
County Legislator David Gelfarb, a Rye Brook Republican who represents a portion of Harrison, said the county is not singling out that complex for affordable housing; rather, it is acting opportunistically on a financially viable unit.
In 2015, the county also bought a condo on 240 Halstead Ave. in Harrison, which it is selling as an affordable housing unit. That unit was acquired by the county for $294,000 and is available for about $160,000.
The county is working to fulfill the terms of a settlement with the federal department of Housing and Urban Development, which mandated that Westchester provide 750 units of affordable housing in 31 of its wealthiest and least racially diverse communities, including Harrison. The settlement additionally limits how many affordable units can have special restrictions, such as units designated for rental or units designated for senior occupants.
The county’s implementation of this settlement was being overseen by a monitor, James Johnson. Before he resigned from the position in August, Johnson named Harrison as a community that was not doing enough to promote affordable housing.
Earlier this month, the town board approved a special exception use permit to develop residential rental units on 103-105 Corporate Park Drive, with the condition that the developer set aside 42 units for affordable housing, including 21 units for households with incomes less than 60 percent of the area median income. Harrison is also awaiting the construction of the 143-apartment AvalonBay Community Development in the Metro-North parking lot. Seven units in that development would be designated for affordable housing for households making less than 60 percent of the area median income, according to the agreement between the town and the developer.
The rental units set at 60 percent of the area median income would count towards the settlement, but only if building permits are issued before December.
“Given the early stages of those projects, it’s unlikely that they would have building permits by the end of the year,” McCormack said. “They’ll count; but they’ll be over and above [the requirement].”
Gelfarb added that going beyond the scope of the requirement ensures that the county won’t fall short.
“We’re on schedule, but obviously we don’t want to leave anything to chance,” he said.
