Hochul rallies Westchester business leaders behind housing plan
RYE BROOK - Wednesday's crowd was chatty and animated. The governor was about to arrive, and, really, how often does one get to be in the room with the governor?
They were likely too engaged to pay much attention to the playlist as they awaited Gov. Kathy Hochul at the Business Council of Westchester. But had they been listening, they'd have gotten an earful, and a preview of coming attractions, including The Temptation's "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" and Elton John and Kiki Dee singing "Don't Go Breaking My Heart."
The governor has been crisscrossing the state, selling her New York Housing Compact, a bold plan to build 800,000 units of housing over the next decade. She was coming to Rye Brook to stump for that plan, even as each house of the New York Legislature was hammering out budgets to respond to it.
The business council members were eager to hear how housing is good for business and, specifically, how housing in Westchester is good for business in Westchester.
'Meet the moment'
Hochul has been addressing builders and real-estate groups, business leaders and developers, telling them about the housing crisis and the need to "meet the moment." The lack of housing is hindering New York's business growth, she says, and she needs all the help she can get to take the bold action the moment requires.
On Wednesday, when Hochul rose to speak to a crowd that twice greeted her with standing ovations, she said: "(New York has) always been the movers and the shakers and the innovators and the progressive individuals who just move society and our communities forward, but somehow we got stuck in the mud when it comes to building housing.
"Yes, there's some wonderful examples, but my God, we can do so much more. And that's what I'm challenging people of our time to do, to meet this moment with conviction, with strength, with passion."
Business leaders have a role to play in getting her Compact approved, Hochul said.
"The voices of the business community behind this makes us unstoppable. I believe that to my core. So you'll be the ones that can go talk to your elected officials and say: 'I know you're worried about this. I know you're worried about this.'"
Hochul spoke of her years on town boards and zoning boards, that she knew all the tools that communities can use to stall development.
"Guess what? Zoning isn't permanent," she said. "It's not in the New York State Constitution. Communities have the power to change it. So open up your zoning."
The governor then deputized the crowd to speak out on behalf of her housing plan.
“I need every single one of you to use your voice, the people who work for you — and I'm sure there's many — to activate, mobilize, bring support behind this and tell people: 'Don't be afraid. This is going to be good.’”
Ain't too proud to plead, baby, baby. Please don't leave me girl. (Don't you go.)
“We're going to look back some day and say, not only did we meet the moment we exceeded the moment, did even better,” the governor said. She praised efforts in New Rochelle and White Plains to add housing to their downtowns, near transit hubs, a hallmark of the Compact. New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson and White Plains Mayor Tom Roach were on hand at the meeting.
Getting personal
Hochul also spoke in personal terms about the toll that a lack of housing can take on a family. She tracked her parents' history with housing, from a trailer park to a Cape Cod with three kids sleeping in the attic, and onward.
"I was able to go back to my hometown of Buffalo after spending a decade in Washington, and I didn't have any trouble finding a house a long time ago," Hochul said. "That was never a barrier, never a thought on my mind.
"Now, young people today, believe me, they want to have their parents near their babies so they can babysit. This is important. I'm a grandma who just babysat."
But the housing just isn't there anymore, she said. And those children have to move elsewhere.
Housing and business
Hochul then called on business leaders to share their stories about their workers and their need for housing.
John Levy, the CEO of Elmsford-based quantum computing company SEEQC, said his well-paid employees can afford to pay more for housing, but it's still hard to find in Westchester.
Peter Herrero, owner of New York Hospitality Group, spoke of his daughter and son-in-law who hold advanced degrees but have been priced out of the housing market. His chefs and hospitality workers, too, can't find housing.
Joe Kenner, president of Greyston Bakery, said his workers are at the lower edge of the housing market and need affordable, secure places to call home.
Hochul was introduced by business council president and CEO Marsha Gordon, who called Hochul a friend of business who had championed economic development. Hochul's Compact, Gordon said, "directly confronts this crisis, unlike any of the past plans of the governor's predecessors."
Hochul rattled off Westchester-business success stories — Regeneron in Tarrytown, Lionsgate in Yonkers, and the quantum computing company SEEQC in tiny Elmsford — and issued a call for business to join her in the push to get her Housing Compact through the Legislature.
A significant venue
The venue for Hochul's address suited the moment.
One of Westchester's most recognizable locations, 800 Westchester Ave. was once the home of Kraft and Philip Morris. Back in those heady days, Westchester's "Platinum Mile" of Fortune 500 headquarters extended for 4 miles.
Robert Weisz, the owner of commercial real-estate firm RPW Group, owns the building, and IBM's former home at 1133 Westchester Ave. Without single major tenants, Weisz has carved up these buildings, offering Fortune 500 amenities to smaller tenants.
The Platinum Mile is now the home for corporations — and simply home. Weisz has added housing to the mix, with high-end apartments now lining the parking lot at 1133 Westchester Avenue. The Toll Brothers converted an office park on the other side of Interstate 287 into massive residential properties. Then Wegmans moved in, giving the Rochester-based grocer its first foothold in Westchester.
It's about 'the how'
One attendee at Wednesday's meeting was Michael Schiliro, supervisor of the town of North Castle. Weeks ago, he hosted a bipartisan roundtable convened by Congressman Mike Lawler to raise concerns about the Compact.
The plan combines policy carrots and sticks, with $250 million in infrastructure money and a plan to let a state panel give developers an end-run around restrictive zoning boards. There has been pushback from mayors and supervisors who fear the loss of home rule, that the one-size-fits-all nature of the plan will change the character of their communities without their residents having input.
After Hochul's meeting, Schiliro said the presentation was excellent, compelling.
"I and our town fully support what she's trying to achieve," Schiliro said. "It's the how."
Schiliro praised Sen. Shelley Mayer and Assemblyman Chris Burdick for raising his concerns, but he said he wants the governor to open a direct line of communication to communities, to see what towns like his are doing, building housing without an Albany mandate.
He worries that the governor's density figures for new housing could add 6,000 residents to his town and require $20 million in sewer upgrades. He wants to see more incentives and fewer penalties, for Albany to partner with towns like his and reward responsible growth and comprehensive plans.
As he spoke, the strains of the playlist's final offering filled the auditorium: Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'."
Reach Peter D. Kramer at pkramer@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on New York State Team: Hochul urges Westchester businesses to 'meet the moment' on housing
