Voice of Business Blog

Governor Kathy Hochul hosted a community roundtable, led by administration officials, with local leaders and elected representatives in New York's Finger Lakes region to discuss the New York Housing Compact - the Governor's comprehensive strategy announced in the FY 2024 Executive Budget to address New York's housing crisis and build 800,000 new homes in the next decade. Elected representatives and local leaders voiced their support for the plan, which builds on the Governor's vision to make New York more livable, more accessible, and more affordable.

Rochester Mayor Malik Evans said, "Governor Kathy Hochul's bold and transformative plan to address New York State's housing crisis aligns with the City of Rochester's work to provide every city resident with the benefits of housing stability. In order to build strong neighborhoods, we have invested in affordable housing and are working to increase homeownership, which helps create generational wealth. Our partnership with Gov. Hochul and through the New York Housing Compact will accelerate the progress of our housing strategy and our vision to create a safe, equitable and prosperous Rochester."

Henrietta Town Supervisor Stephen Schultz said, "Homes that are affordable, either as starter homes or for downsizing in retirement, are a big need in Henrietta and across the State. Unfortunately, there has been a push from the industry to build larger, more expensive homes, so I am happy to work with the Governor's Office on ways to incentivize developers to build more affordable homes that also align with our comprehensive land use plans for the Town."

Monroe County Legislator Mercedes Vazquez Simmons said, "I am thrilled to see an investment towards improving living conditions for members of our community. Safe, clean, and affordable housing is a basic necessity that many families continue to be denied. Thank you to Governor Kathy Hochul for your commitment to the City of Rochester and Monroe County."

Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bob Duffy said, "Housing inventory is down, and need is up. Governor Hochul's proposal offers communities like ours the chance to both improve crumbling infrastructure and break ground on new opportunities. Greater Rochester Chamber supports the Governor's proposal that will provide new jobs and act as a catalyst for the urban revival Rochester so desperately needs."

Aqua Porter, Executive Director of the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative, said, "RMAPI supports the Governor's efforts to increase the availability and affordability of housing in our state by increasing the supply of available housing. We believe this is an opportunity to create more opportunity rich neighborhoods in our community, as a means of supporting upward economic mobility. We look forward to New York State working with local jurisdictions to create more housing that is affordable to individuals and families at very low incomes. In addition to new construction, the focus on addressing and rehabbing vacant properties, supporting low-income homeowners, and increasing tenant protections are important elements of this plan. We are also encouraged by the Governor's focus on using the state's regulatory powers to dismantle restrictive and exclusionary zoning rules that are in place to make it easier for affordable housing to be built in all neighborhoods."

Sarah Davis, Executive Director, Seneca County IDA said, "Housing quality, affordability, and availability is an economic development issue that greatly impacts our ability to attract and retain talent within our communities. We need creative, collaborative solutions to grow our housing stock and local economies, especially in rural communities that have not historically had the resources or support to tackle such a large-scale planning endeavor."

Lynn C. Truame, Director of Real Estate Development, INHS said, "As a provider of housing for people with low and moderate incomes in a seven-county area in Upstate New York, INHS sees a wide range of housing need on a daily basis: from urban to rural, among renters and homebuyers, across the income spectrum, and among all ages. We simply do not have enough high-quality housing for the number of people who live in, or would like to live in, our service area. Households with the highest incomes out-compete those with more modest incomes, and prices rise to meet that demand. We are very grateful for Governor Hochul's strong leadership on housing issues and particularly for the focus on increased housing production at all affordability levels that is expressed in the Housing Compact."

Bret Garwood, Chair of the Board of the New York State Association for Affordable Housing and CEO of Home Leasing said, "The Housing Compact correctly identifies the substantial undersupply of housing units throughout New York State as problem that needs to be addressed. Establishing a goal for each community for growth is essential to help start the conversations needed in each village, town and city about how to accommodate additional housing to meet their needs. As an affordable housing provider active in urban, suburban, and rural areas, we commonly hear about the need and desire for more housing but often the process to create it takes too long. The Housing Compact will help address this by providing planning and infrastructure support so that communities can articulate and the. realize their vision to meet the goal."