Tuesday, May 6, 2014

AN UPDATE ON HUD, THE ADC ETC., JOURNAL NEWS ARTICLE, LEG. MICHAEL SMITH, HIGHLIGHTED IN RED

As many of you know, Croton is one of 7 communities cited by the housing monitor/HUD as engaging in "discrimnatory" and/or "restrictive" zoning. Mamaroneck was recently removed from the list, leaving 6 communities. According to the Journal News dated 2/12/14, Mamaroneck has been removed from the list because:

"After rezoning large parts of town to permit multifamily housing and changing laws to require more affordable apartments, the town of Mamaroneck has been taken off the list of communities with exclusionary zoning under the 2009 Westchester fair housing settlement." 

Croton, to our knowledge and pursuant to ongoing foil requests with the village, remains on the list. The mayor has already admitted that the village "got into trouble" as a result of the special permit provision in the Harmon re-zoning law ("as of right", no permit housing is preferred).  The mayor and the board were repeatedly warned by numerous residents that this and other issues in the Harmon re-zoning law were potentially dangerous to the village (and ignored).  What happens next is anyone's guess. You can read more about that here http://www.ind-coh.blogspot.com/2011/03/letter-to-editor-march-10-2011.html

In a continuing effort to find out what is going on, additional foil--freedom of information-- requests have been submitted to the village.

Recently the ADC (Anti Discrimination Center, the group that brought the original lawsuit which former county executive Andy Spano settled and which current county executive Astorino inherited) released a report called CHEATING ON EVERY LEVEL, in which they accused Westchester of--cheating on the settlement on every level. You can read about that here http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-anti-discrimination-center-says.html

The ADC also asked the judge to declare the county in contempt.

According today's Journal News, in an article written by WCBOL Michael J. Smith--DON'T TREAT WESTCHESTER LIKE SOCIAL EXPERIMENT--the following is reported: 

"Meanwhile, the judge overseeing the fair housing settlement between Westchester County and the federal government has declined a request to declare the county in contempt, instead expressing confidence in the government and court monitor's efforts to enforce the 2009 agreement."

YOU CAN READ LEG. SMITH'S ARTICLE HERE  http://www.lohud.com/story/opinion/contributors/2014/05/05/treat-westchester-like-social-experiment/8740625/

THIS POST IS CLOSED TO ALL COMMENTS. 

7/8/14 UPDATE http://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2014/07/recent-hud-events-wrap-up.html

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