As part of a controversial settlement brokered by the federal government, Westchester County is mandated to construct 750 units of affordable housing; in Rye, some of those units may come at the expense of senior citizens.

An affordable housing development proposed by Rye-Cottage Hold­ings LLC targeting seniors 55 years and up, has been in the works for over a year. The developer, Port Chester native Louis Larizza, had already constructed a successful affordable housing component adjacent to the proposed site.

The project, slated for Cottage Street, was to construct 22 senior age-restricted one-bedroom units; four units would be sold or rented at market rate and the remaining 18 would be restricted for moderate income rates of those having income not more than 80 percent of the county’s median income – $56,900 for individuals and $87,500 for families.

That is until a Jan. 7 letter doomed the project in its current construct.

In that letter, Norma Drummond, the county’s deputy commissioner of planning, questioned the need for a senior-age restriction. “The county is familiar with the proposal and is prepared to address funding needs with the developer but question the need for the senior age restriction condition referenced in the Rye approval project description… this does not meet the current funding priority of the county which is to reach a broader population absent any age restriction,” the letter stated. “We ask that the city consider removing this condition so we can undertake our review of the requested financial support for the proposed development.”

Last month, the city’s Planning Commission decided to forego the age restriction to allow the project to move through the final stages of the approval process. Including the restriction would have disallowed the project to meet the county’s current funding priorities. The Rye City Council, last Wednesday, voted to de-map Edgar Place due to right-of-way issues – the last local approval needed. Mayor Douglas French (R) said that the project would count toward the county’s fair and affordable housing implementation plan.

Thomas Saunders, a senior advocate, said housing in general has to be a concern with housing prices in Westchester so high. Saunders added that according to the 2000 census, there are 100 people in the city over the age of 65 living below the poverty line. That number jumps to 800 when including surrounding communities.
The Cottage Street issue has been discussed at recent Staying Put in Rye and Environs (SPRYE) meetings but the recently formed group is powerless to do anything about it. “This is a backward step I would say,” Saunders opined. “[We’re] certainly not looking at it as a good thing.”

But the mayor doesn’t believe there are any restrictions prohibiting seniors from applying for housing as long as it’s marketed toward specified minorities. Any development containing single dwelling units would cater to seniors; this latest project proposes all one-bedroom units. “Seniors can still apply for this,” the mayor added.  “If they are all single bedrooms, that lends itself to seniors.”

Through financial partnerships with local developers the county embarked upon a building effort geared toward municipal workforces and senior citizens. But that endeavor proved ill-fated after a discrimination lawsuit was brought against the county, under the administration of Andy Spano (D), the former county executive.
As one of 31 communities within the county, Rye will now be asked over the next seven years to construct affordable housing under a $51.6 million settlement with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. The settlement, reached in August 2009, steered the county clear of possibly losing up to $200 million in a fair housing lawsuit brought by the Anti-Discrimination Center (ADC) of Metro New York if the case went to trial. The lawsuit contested that the county had violated the deal that grants counties federal funding as long as they make efforts to further fair housing. The settlement targets communities with thresholds of less than 3 percent African-American population and less than 7 percent Hispanic population.

But living up to those requirements remains a concern. Joe Murphy, chair of the city’s Senior Advocacy Group, said there may not be enough situations in the county to produce affordable housing. “More people need housing,” he continued. “Seniors need it too but so do a lot of other families. How do you provide for the marginal family with little income?”

The county, after a changeover in administration, laid out an implementation and compliance plan in February, but it was shot down as inadequate by a federal monitor selected to provide oversight. Citing ambiguity in regards to accountability, timelines and processes the plan was discredited for lacking short, medium or long-term strategies.

Back in Rye, another potential site for affordable housing is on Theodore Fremd Avenue near North Street, which has long been talked about, is in the early planning stages. The project could include up to 25 units.

“When you’re looking countywide at 750 units over seven years.” French explained, “those projects alone would give Rye in the neighborhood of 40 units which would go a long way toward the city meeting some of those requirements.”