Housing Proposals and Progress in Croton-on-Hudson Special Report and Update to the Board of Trustees and Residents Bryan Healy, Village Manager September 18, 2024 Introduction Given the range of housing topics the Village Board has addressed over the last few months, the Mayor believes it would be helpful for me to provide the Board of Trustees and the public with this Special Report on housing progress and proposals in the Village. This document provides information on: (1) background on Croton-on-Hudson’s comprehensive plan and housing needs (2) housing approved by the Village regulatory process; (3) Croton’s status as a New York State Pro-Housing Community; (4) the recent proposal for the 1 Half Moon Bay project; and (5) the Lot A proposal currently under review by the Board. Croton-on-Hudson’s Comprehensive Plan and Housing Needs Over the years, Croton-on-Hudson has had a long-standing commitment to creating new housing opportunities. In previous decades, new subdivisions were approved (Westwind, River Landing, Arrowcrest), new condominium complexes were constructed along the waterfront (Half Moon Bay) and single-family homes have been built throughout the Village on vacant parcels. In the 2017 Comprehensive Plan Update, the need for new multifamily housing was explicitly recognized: Adapting housing, transit, recreation and buildings and public spaces will help a vibrant and engaged senior population to securely age in place and contribute to a vibrant community…[T]he Village must provide the services and quality of life that will attract...the new…younger workforce needed to replace a labor force that is shrinking as the population ages…Recent development in the Village has provided needed additional housing units in the Village…these developments have provided mainly single-family homes…At the same time, the demand for appropriately‐sized, affordable housing for aging Croton‐on‐Hudson residents, young couples without children, and Village personnel is growing. The Village’s vacancy rate has been found to be 2% or less in recent years and data from Westchester County has shown that more than 10% of households in the Village spend half or more of their income on housing costs. To address these challenges, the Village Board established a Housing Task Force in 2019. That task force issued a report in 2021. Over the years, the Board has enacted some of the report’s recommendations, including expanding coverage for the Emergency Tenant Protection Act and reforming the Accessory Dwelling Unit law. Among the recommendations of the Housing Task Force’s report is the redevelopment of Lot A. Lot A is the village-owned overflow parking lot located at 1 Croton Point Avenue. In the years since the 1 COVID-19 pandemic, use of the train station parking lot has averaged around 65% of capacity. Because of the removal of the old DPW garage in 2020, even if Lot A were to be redeveloped, there is more parking at the station today than there was in 2019. Housing Approved by the Village Regulatory Process Four multi-family housing projects have been approved by the Village’s regulatory process in the last four years. These include: (1) Maple Commons at 43-45 Maple Street, 33 apartments, all affordable and soon to be fully occupied; (2) 25 South Riverside, 39 apartments, 35 market rate, four affordable, currently under construction, but not likely to be occupied until 2026; (3) 1380 Albany Post Road, 29 apartments, 26 market rate and three affordable, whose ownership has not yet sought a building permit, therefore placing its completion some years into the future; and (4) 352 South Riverside, 5 apartments, all market rate, whose ownership, like the project above, has not yet sought a building permit, therefore placing its completion some years into the future. To date, 106 apartments have regulatory approval from the Village following special permit authorization by the Village Board and site plan approval by the Planning Board under the Village Code (66 of them market rate, 40 of affordable). However, it will be some years into the future, perhaps 2026 or later, before most are completed and occupied. Croton As A Pro-Housing Community The Village of Croton-on-Hudson was certified as a New York State Pro-Housing Community in February 2024. The New York State Pro-Housing Communities program is a voluntary, incentivebased approach to housing that allows municipalities to add homes to their communities in a way that best fits their local situation. Being a Pro-Housing Community is required for a community to have access to $650M in state funds. As of this writing there are more than 100 certified Pro-Housing Communities, and hundreds more with applications to the program under review. A municipality is eligible to be considered a ProHousing Community in the downstate area (which includes Croton-on-Hudson) if they can show one of the following: • • • Permits increasing their housing stock by 1% over the past year; Permits increasing their housing stock by 3% over the past three years; or A commitment to achieving one of the