Democratic state leaders in New York have unveiled a new plan for affordable housing after the previous plan proposed by governor Kathy Hochul was scrapped. The governor’s initial plan required a 3% increase in housing growth in downstate communities and near train stations, with the aim of building 800,000 units of housing in a decade. However, members of her own party in the legislature decided to strip it out of the budget.
New York State Senator Kevin Thomas announced the new plan, which involves giving local municipalities $500 million to upgrade outdated infrastructure, which would enable them to accommodate more housing.
“And once that money is allocated to municipalities, villages, we can start improving infrastructure,” Thomas says. “We can build, we can build better housing.”
The lack of affordable housing in New York has been a longstanding issue for years, and this has negatively impacted the quality of life for many individuals and families. The hope of Albany Democrats is to get the new housing plan approved by April 1st.
The $500 million allocated to local municipalities for infrastructure upgrades is just one aspect of the plan. The Democrats’ proposal also includes tax incentives for developers who construct affordable housing units and regulations that require developers to include a certain percentage of affordable housing units in new developments.
Criticism of Hochul’s plan focused on the negative aspects of stipulations regarding what kind of housing could be where. Allowing municipalities to address the issues themselves is in some ways a response to those concerns.
