Petition in Mamaroneck village opposes Hunter Tier affordable housing proposal

MAMARONECK VILLAGE — A petition that opposes proposed affordable housing redevelopment of a Prospect Avenue municipal parking area has more than 1,650 signatures.

The parking area, known as Hunter Tier parking lot and garage, is close to downtown Mamaroneck Avenue’s lineup of restaurants and stores. Village officials last year sought plans to create affordable housing at Hunter Tier, attracting two competing proposals. One, from nonprofit Westhab, would build six floors with 77 affordable-housing apartments. The other, by a joint venture of BRP Development Partners and Hyperion Group, would be six floors of 187 units.

But the petition, posted on Change.org., asserts doing more to deal with residents’ longstanding flooding problems should be prioritized. The petition also stated, among other things, that:

• Fire department and emergency medical services have concerns about resources to handle more residents and that the housing’s proposed location could affect emergency services access.

• The redevelopment would reduce parking for village residents and patrons of downtown businesses.

• Schools are over capacity.

• Traffic is congested now and “will come to a standstill” if the redevelopment is allowed.

A 17-page village Planning Department-issued report in February said there's severe affordable-housing need in this 3.2-square-mile village of nearly 20,000 residents. The report said incomes can’t reel in rising rents and 2023's village median single-family house sold for $1.08 million. An estimated $373,842 household income would be needed for that home.

Resident incomes increased about 15% since 1990, adjusting for inflation, but rents soared 90% in the same period. Median village household income in 2022 was $121,672, according to Census. Forty-seven percent of households in 2022 were rent burdened, the Planning Department report said, and 39% of homebuyers were cost burdened.

But the petition says the affordable housing wouldn’t be earmarked for village residents. Rather, it states, the housing would be available by lottery to people throughout Westchester who meet household income limits, and open to people living in nine other counties and New York City.

Learn more: Mamaroneck village residents are 'rent' and 'cost' burdened. What that means

'How do we keep people in their homes?'

Whether Hunter Tier moves forward or doesn’t, Village Mayor Sharon Torres said there are a number of things for the village to look at regarding affordable housing.

“One way is how do you keep people in their homes who have been here for generations, but now their taxes are so high or they flood so often that insurance won’t cover it." Torres said. "How do you keep it affordable for them to be able to stay here when the cost of housing is going so high and then your tax rates are based on the value of your home.

“How do we keep down those taxes?”

Another question, Torres said, is how does the village look at every development that comes in and ensure they have some portion of affordable units, “and not just one here or there but a number of them.”

Torres said the Board of Trustees listened to the community, slowed down things regarding Hunter Tier, realized more information was needed, and that there were things proposed that differ from what was understood a year earlier. "Probably at some point this year we are going to look at whether or not this is a good idea for the village," she said of Hunter Tier.

Torres said flooding continues to affect a large number of people in the village, and maintaining parking is crucial downtown — the current Hunter Tier parking is well-used. She thought of the people whose homes have flooded many times, who've had not just water but sewage because everything backed up, and who dipped into retirement money because insurance won't cover such events.

Public meeting on Hunter Tier scheduled

Village officials will hold a May 22 public meeting about Hunter Tier — the two developers will present affordable housing proposals — and then a May 23 panel will answer broader housing questions the public has asked. Torres also said an ad hoc committee has been formed for housing issues.

Hunter Tier is just one proposal, Torres said, and while there are opinions on either side of the issue, “there's a lot of us more in the middle who just want facts.”

Town of Mamaroneck announces funding for affordable housing

Meanwhile, in the town of Mamaroneck — 14 square miles, with a separate government from Mamaroneck village, which is one of two villages within the town — a Wednesday news conference by County Executive George Latimer announced $3 million in county money for affordable housing. No details related to where that housing would go or any specific projects were released.

"In Mamaroneck, we are committed to helping the town fill this critical need, which will create more housing at a price point all people can afford," Latimer said.

The money announced by Latimer, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman in a Congressional Democratic primary, comes after Bowman was in the town of Mamaroneck in April to highlight plans for a new traffic roundabout for which Bowman secured $2 million in federal money.

Michael McKinney covers growth and development in Westchester County and the Lower Hudson Valley for the Journal News/lohud.com and USA Today Network.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Mamaroneck NY affordable housing conversion from lot, garage opposed