As a major component of New Rochelle’s downtown revitalization, the City Planning Board has approved 688 affordable housing units to date, with 45 units currently available for lease and the remaining slated to come online in the next 3-5 years. In an effort to the make the application process more seamless for prospective residents, the City has retained Tarrytown-based Housing Action Council to lead New Rochelle’s affordable housing program.
As the City’s Affordable Housing Administrator, Housing Action Council will manage the marketing, qualification of applicants, lottery, and subsequent administration and monitoring of New Rochelle’s affordable units, which account for 11% of the total 6,370 residential units being created as part of the City’s downtown redevelopment initiative. By creating a one-stop shop that will serve as a comprehensive resource on the City’s affordable inventory, Housing Action Council will enable current and prospective residents who qualify for affordable housing to view availabilities and submit applications once to a single source, rather than apply to each individual building. Housing Action Council is a regional not-for-profit organization dedicated to expanding housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income households throughout Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, and New York counties and other parts of the Hudson Region.
“With our ambitious and innovative downtown development plans well underway, New Rochelle’s partnership with the Housing Action Council will make it easier for anyone to find a place to live,” said New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson. “This is one of many steps illustrating our strong commitment to inclusive growth from which all residents have an opportunity to benefit.”
With the City’s adoption of the Downtown Overlay Zone (“DOZ”), the City established a requirement that at least 10% of new units in the downtown remain affordable at 80% of the Area Median Income (“AMI”) as established annually by Westchester County. New Rochelle further incentivizes the development of affordable units by allowing additional height for certain developments that provide more than the 10% requirement. Further, the City’s Industrial Development Agency (“IDA”) has the ability to give larger incentives to developments that provide a deeper level of affordability than the 80% AMI requirement. To date, the incentives have proven successful. The City has seen a greater number of affordable units than originally projected, with many developments electing to provide deeper levels of affordability or a greater percentage of affordable units overall.
“Affordable housing has been and continues to be a vital part of New Rochelle’s downtown redevelopment,” said New Rochelle Councilman Jared Rice. “The program with Housing Action Council will bolster our efforts to connect residents with housing opportunities as they come online over the next several years and will implement a system that supports New Rochelle’s position as an inclusive and dynamic place to call home.”
The City has also dedicated a new page on its Ideally New Rochelle website to downtown leasing opportunities. Through this feature, website visitors can access information about the completed projects with available residential rental units – both market-rate and affordable – and easily connect with leasing agents. Buildings currently in leasing or pre-leasing include 360 Huguenot, The Printhouse, The Standard and NewRo Studios. The content will be updated regularly as new developments begin leasing.
“Housing Action Council has more than 40 years of experience in the realm of affordable housing throughout the Mid-Hudson region,” said Housing Action Council Executive Director Rose Noonan. “We are pleased to be able to partner with the City of New Rochelle to make current and prospective residents aware of all of the new available housing opportunities in the downtown.”
Those interested in New Rochelle’s affordable units can contact NRHousing@affordablehomes.org.
Accelerated by a novel, fast-track zoning process and the use of generic environmental reviews, New Rochelle’s unprecedented redevelopment initiative, which launched in 2015 with the signing of a Master Developer agreement with RXR Realty, has allowed for critical progress to be made in attracting investment to the City’s downtown. So far, 31 projects – totaling six million square feet and more than 5,000 housing units – have been approved, and 11 are already under construction. With the residential component of the downtown revitalization effort well underway, the City is now looking to attract commercial space and other nonresidential development. As part of the next phase of development, they aim to attract the construction of approximately 1.8 million square feet of new office space in the downtown area.
New Rochelle’s central location, unrivaled transit access, respected higher educational institutions, award-winning public schools, ultra-high-speed public access Wi-Fi kiosks, diverse population, and physical characteristics together uniquely position the City to evolve into a thriving live-work-grow magnet for millennials and young professionals, while enhancing the overall region’s competitive status.
About the City of New Rochelle
With an unparalleled location, superb quality of life, diverse and talented residents and a focused business climate, New Rochelle is experiencing the transformation of a lifetime. The City’s economic development plan will provide a spark for the entire Hudson Valley region, positioning it as “open for business” and embracing smart, transit-oriented development growth patterns. Accelerated by a new, fast-track zoning process, the new Master Development initiative will enhance the downtown area by boosting job creation, property values and private investment – while enhancing sustainability through green and energy-efficient design. Learn more at https://www.ideallynewrochelle.com/.