I do not support Governor Hochul’s housing plan imposing state quotas on local municipalities regarding how much housing is to be built.
I also reject her proposal to remove zoning control from local municipal decision-makers. Decisions relating to housing construction are and must be locally based with community input and under local zoning authority. Decisions on housing applications must take into account traffic, noise, environmental, and public safety impacts. Effects on local communities, school districts, and municipal resources must be considered. Local officials with community input are best suited to make such decisions.
We are fortunate in New York that the New York State legislature rejected the Governor’s proposal out of hand. Thank you to Assemblywoman Gina Silitti and other state legislators who took the lead on this issue, and thank you for hearing the concerns raised by so many of us at the local level.