COMMITTEE ON HOUSING
MINUTES: February 10, 2004, 9:00 AM
IN ATTENDANCE:
Housing Committee Members: Legislators Lois Bronz, Jose Alvarado , Vito Pinto and William Ryan, BOL Chairman.
Staff: Barbara Arrington Dodds
Planning: Comm. Jerry Mulligan, Nancy MacMillan, William Brady; Others: Alan Gordon, Housing Action Council
ITEM DISCUSSED:
• Sprain Estates Affordable Housing Development Project
With a quorum present, Legislator Bronz opened the meeting. She noted that the one item to be discussed was a long overdue reality whose time had come. The item is also in the Committees on Budget and Appropriations and Environment. A bond act and an intermunicipal agreement are to be acted on.
Mulligan: William Brady has been on this project (formerly known as Rory O’Moore) for seven years and will make the presentation.
Brady: For many years there was a parkland alienation issue at Rory O’Moore Park, a Yonkers city park formerly County property, that had been subdivided out In the northeast part of Yonkers. In 2000 legislation was submitted but not acted on and again in the summer of 2003. The project is 34 single family attached homes, 17 are affordable, and 17 will be sold at market rate. Affordable homes will have a range of income requirements: several at or below 50% county median income, some between 51% and 80%, and some between 81% and 100%. The price on the low end would be around $55,000 stepping up to $190,000 on the high end for the affordable units. People would be qualified by the City of Yonkers and the Housing Action Council to make sure they can afford the homes.
Pinto: What’s the market value of the other homes?
Brady: Between $337,000 and $350,000. The Board is requested to approve Housing Implementation Fund (HIF) dollars of $850,000. Other funding sources include the City of Yonkers, Federal Home Loan Bank, NYS Affordable Housing Corporation, equity from the developer and the Community Preservation Corporation non-profit lending group for affordable housing projects. The developer is called “The Development Team” based in Scarsdale and chosen by Yonkers to replace a previous developer. HIF funds will pay for sewer, water, storm drainage, and the road that goes through the middle of the project, curbs, grading, and engineering. The City will be responsible for the maintenance of the utilities and the road. The County is only paying for half the infrastructure costs because only half of the units are affordable. The period of affordability is 40 years with a deed restriction so families can only sell to other families who qualify.
Pinto: Is there public transportation along Sprain Road to Tuckahoe Road or Jackson Avenue? That has always been an issue.
Brady: There are no county bus routes up Sprain Road.
Bronz: The City of Yonkers has approved all the plans and is very anxious for this to pass in fact they are awaiting a fax from this committee at the end of the meeting.
Ryan: What is the alienation issue mentioned before?
Bronz: A swap was negotiated with Yonkers that if the County gave the park to the City for development, the City would have to identify other parkland to replace it. There has been debate on whether that requirement has been satisfied and, according to Mayor Spencer in a letter to this committee, it has been.
Further discussion on details of the project ensued.
Leg. Alvarado moved passage of the legislation and Leg. Pinto seconded. All in favor, none opposed.
The meeting was adjourned by Leg. Bronz.
Text: 
Print:
