Governor Cuomo Announces $4.1 Million in Federal Community Development Grants Available Competitively to Westchester Communities
Local Governments Have Access to HUD Funding For First Time Since 2010
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo recently announced that $4.1 million in Federal
grants are available through New York State Homes and Community Renewal,
to 42 cities, towns and villages in Westchester for housing, public infrastructure,
public facilities and economic development activities. Prior to this year,
these municipalities were part of the Westchester County Consortium that
was prohibited from receiving funds from the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD) due to the County's non-compliance with
federal Fair Housing requirements. The County disbanded the Consortium
this year, enabling the former members to apply directly to the State
for funding if they provide evidence of affirmatively furthering fair housing.
In February 2015, Governor Cuomo and Congresswoman Lowey announced an
agreement to release a targeted Request for Proposals for HUD Community
Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to address priority issues in eligible
Westchester communities. New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR)
has now issued the Request for Proposals to eligible local governments
that serve populations of less than 50,000. HCR will award more than $4
million through the competitive application to ensure that funding goes
to initiatives that encourage investment in communities, revitalize development
and are well integrated with other regional priorities.
“This funding is a vital resource for communities in Westchester,
and today we are able to restart the grant process and further improve
the quality of life throughout the County,” said Governor Cuomo.
“This was a collaborative effort between our administration, Congresswoman
Lowey and many other partners in government, and I am pleased to see this
critical funding made available once again to the groups that need it
most.”
"This Request for Proposals presents a path forward for cities and
towns in Westchester that are meeting their obligation to build inclusive
communities," said Holly Leicht, HUD Regional Administrator for New
York and New Jersey. "CDBG funding is a life source for municipalities
nationwide that are investing in infrastructure, economic development
opportunities and affordable housing. We thank HCR and Congressmembers
Lowey and Engel for working closely with HUD to bring much-needed Federal
funding to municipalities in Westchester County that share our commitment
to improving communities equitably."
Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey said, “The Governor and I found a creative
solution so that HUD investments will once again be made in Westchester,
and I’m pleased that communities in the county will receive more
than $4 million for economic development and public infrastructure projects
in the coming months.”
Congressman Eliot Engel said, “For several years, I have argued
that local communities should not be forced to bear the costs of a drawn
out legal dispute. I am pleased that today, those communities are now
eligible to partake in these competitive grant applications,” said
Congressman Eliot Engel. “This money will help to pay for much needed
projects and directly benefit the hardworking people of Westchester. I
thank Governor Cuomo, a former secretary of HUD, for understanding how
critical these funds are, and working to channel them to those who need
it most.”
Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney said, “These critical investments
in our community will help ensure a brighter future for all of us. CDBG
allows our local municipalities to complete essential economic development
projects that will create good paying jobs and affordable housing to boost
the economy in the Hudson Valley.”
James S. Rubin, Commissioner/CEO of HCR said, “We are committed
to supporting vital development projects across the state that expand
and preserve affordable housing opportunities. These grants empower Westchester’s
communities by allowing them to access Federal funding streams. Thanks
to the Governor’s leadership and HUD’s commitment to finding
an equitable solution for vulnerable communities, eligible Westchester
municipalities can move forward with their robust initiatives. I look
forward to being part of that process, coordinating with Secretary Castro
to bring these priority funds to Westchester residents.”
Unlike the funds that Westchester County forfeited, these funds are competitive
and are administered through the State. The eligible towns had formed
the Westchester County Consortium to meet the population threshold necessary
to receive a non-competitive annual allocation of CDBG funding. That status
precluded the towns from applying to the State for competitive funds.
Now that they have that opportunity, HCR and HUD agreed to issue a targeted
RFP for the amount of additional funding the State is receiving this year,
thanks to the addition of the Westchester towns that were formerly part
of the County's Consortium.
New York State Homes and Community Renewal will administer these CDBG
funds and ensure that recipients comply with fair housing law. Local governments
must demonstrate that the proposed project will primarily impact low-
and moderate-income households for initiatives that finance the creation,
renovation or energy-efficient retrofits of affordable housing, as well
as infrastructure funding. Under the terms of the state/federal agreement
eligible projects must be located in the catchment area of the former
Westchester County Consortium.
The 2015 Westchester County Competitive Application for Housing, Public
Infrastructure, Economic Development and Public Facilities is available
here and is due October 23, 2015.
The New York State Office of Community Renewal at HCR will be conducting
technical assistance workshops for municipal officials on Tuesday, July 28th, at the following locations:
- Mount Kisco Public Library, 2nd Floor, 100 Main Street, Mount Kisco at 10:00 AM
- Town of Mamaroneck Town Hall, 740 West Boston Post Road, Mamaroneck, NY at 1:00 PM
HCR agencies include the Affordable Housing Corporation, the Division of Housing and Community Renewal, the Housing Finance Agency, State of New York Mortgage Agency, Housing Trust Fund Corporation and others. In 2014, HCR boasted a record year, financing the creation or preservation of 9,407 affordable housing units, including affordable homeownership opportunities for more than one thousand families. 2015 marks the third year of Governor Cuomo’s $1 billion statewide House NY program, whose goal is to create or preserve 14,300 affordable units by 2018. As the largest investment in New York State’s affordable housing stock in at least 15 years, House NY investments will keep thousands of low- and moderate-income Mitchell-Lama units affordable for another 40 years. The House NY initiative works in tandem with HCR’s vigorous efforts to protect more than two million rent-regulated tenants thanks to the greatest strengthening of the state’s rent laws in 30 years, and the creation of HCR’s Tenant Protection Unit which proactively audits and investigates landlord wrongdoing and has returned more than 40,000 units to rent regulation.