Long Island lawmakers take victory lap after months-long fight against Gov. Kathy Hochul's controversial housing plan
FLORAL PARK, N.Y. -- Gov. Kathy Hochul's plans for housing in her original budget proposal led to a clash with suburban lawmakers and didn't make the cut.
The months-long fight against the governor's controversial plan in her state budget to mandate and overhaul housing is over, and suburban lawmakers are taking a victory lap.
"It was an ill-conceived idea by the governor, and I'm excited that the residents stood together with our elected officials," Hempstead Town Supervisor Donald Clavin said.
Hochul's plan to build 800,000 new homes and affordable apartments over the next decade has been abandoned after local leaders made it clear they don't want Albany deciding how to build and regulate housing.
"Mandates from the top down? Generally people don't want to be told what to do out here," said Eric Alexander, with Vision Long Island.
Alexander says, for one, Oyster Bay Town is already pivoting across from the Hicksville train station, just approving a 191-unit transit-oriented development in an abandoned eyesore.
"Because there is community support and it's planned from the bottom up, this project got approved," Alexander said.
What is the solution to soaring rents and our worsening housing shortage?
The Community Housing Improvement Program says, "New York state's affordable housing crisis is not going away. The failure to address this is in the state budget is a loss for all New Yorkers."
In Floral Park and Bellerose villages, some homeowners living near the train station wondered if future "compact housing" would mean they could build and rent small homes on double lots.
"I don't think double lots that would bring in another few people would make much of a difference," one person said.
"If it's the homeowner's land and the homeowner wants to expand," another person said.
"A lot of people want this, but they don't necessarily want it in their backyard, so what do you do?" another person said.
A potential deal over housing policy or funding could come after the state budget is passed, state officials have said. If that happens, suburban lawmakers want input every step of the way.
