Read the Welcome Home Westchester memorandum of support in full.
Welcome Home Westchester, a multi-stakeholder pro-housing advocacy campaign consisting of business and nonprofit leaders, companies involved in homebuilding and the development of housing, academics, think tanks, anti-homelessness advocates, climate activists, faith leaders, and community advocates, is dedicated to addressing the critical housing shortage in Westchester County and throughout New York State. As we continually witness the derailing of affordable housing projects due to environmental review process delays, we are in dire need of fair and targeted reform that will help move our communities forward while continuing to respect environmental sustainability.
For these reasons, the Welcome Home Westchester campaign is proud to support the Sustainable Affordable Housing and Sprawl Prevention Act. We need to quickly address the housing shortage in a smart and responsible manner, and this reform would allow a streamlined environmental review process for infill housing in areas that are already developed. Furthermore, we support the Act’s protection of important environmental resources including wetlands, drinking water and air quality. By incentivizing responsible development in areas close to mass transit, we will foster neighborhoods that are appealing to commuters and residents who desire walkable villages, towns and cities with fewer carbon emissions and more sustainability.
The need for much more fair and affordable housing in Westchester County and beyond continues to be a growing concern with little room to be addressed with the review processes in place. Welcome Home Westchester and its stakeholders are in strong support of this legislation that will offer a more straightforward and calculable environmental review in key development areas, allowing for resilient and affordable housing to be built more quickly and at a lower cost.
The consideration for maintaining and creating green neighborhoods in Westchester and beyond is vital, which the Sustainable Affordable Housing and Sprawl Act addresses appropriately. The Welcome Home Westchester campaign implores our state leaders to pass the Act as a crucial step forward in supporting the housing we need to be built more expeditiously and responsibly.
Welcome Home Westchester Partners and Policy Advisory Committee Members
Building & Realty Institute (BRI)
Construction Industry Council of Westchester and Hudson Valley, Inc.
Housing Action Council
Nonprofit Westchester (NPW)
Pace University Land Use Law Center
Regional Plan Association (RPA)
Westchester County Association (WCA)
Westhab, Inc.
Bet Am Shalom Synagogue Affordable Housing Committee
Calvary Baptist Church
Caring for the Hungry and Homeless of Peekskill (CHHOP)
Child Care Council of Westchester, Inc.
Collins LLC
Community Housing Innovations (CHI)
Comstock Residential Contracting, LLC
The Delaine Companies
Department of Veterans Affairs Career EAP Manager AFGE
First Baptist Church of White Plains
Ginsburg Development Companies
Goldstein Hall PLLC
Habitat for Humanity NYC and Westchester County
Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors
Hudson Hills Partners
Kings Capital Construction
Lifting Up Westchester
McCullough Goldberger & Staudt, LLP
Murphy Brothers Contracting
RM Friedland
Urban Land Institute (ULI)
Westchester Children’s Association
Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc.
Wilder Balter Partners, Inc.
Yonkers Family YMCA