history

When the Committee was begun in 1990, the goal was to meet the local need for affordable housing, particularly for volunteer firefighters,  Ambulance Corps members, municipal and school employees as well as senior citizens and young people.  In 1997 the Village Board formally acknowledged that the housing in the community was becoming too expensive for many of modest means.  This was confirmed by house sales data and Census findings.  The situation raised a number of serious concerns. First was the shrinkage of the volunteer pool within the village that occurred when young families could no longer afford to live here.  The diversity of people of which Hastings had been proud would diminish.  With Hastings children unable to return to the community as adults and seniors leaving for less expensive areas, village traditions would be lost. The village adopted legislation to encourage accessory apartments as an important resource for smaller rental units. It also passed laws enabling the Village Planning Board to give density bonuses or other modifications to site plans of projects with affordable units. 

Ensuring that any affordable units remain affordable for the foreseeable future, the village board also required those units to have 100-year affordability through regulations on resale and other deed restrictions.

In 2013 the Village Board passed a local law conforming to Westchester County requirements put in place to satisfy the terms of a 2009 settlement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  It requires that any Hastings development of eight or more units include 15% of those units as fair and affordable, and it sets guidelines for how that can be accomplished.  The new law includes most of the elements of the 1997 policy. It also requires widespread marketing to assure maximum diversity of applicants for any Hastings fair and affordable housing units. 

As of 2014 the HUD guidelines for income and rent limits permitted a maximum of  80% area median income for ownership and a range for rental income (either 50% or 60% area median income in Hastings), depending on the funding source.  For example, in 2014, 80% of median income was $58,100 for a household of one and $83,000 for a household of four.  For rental units, 60% median income was $43,560 for a household of one and $62,220 for a household for four. One measure of eligibility is that housing expenses, including utilities, should not exceed 30% of income.

Another provision in the Hastings law is for “Workforce Units,” which can be a third of the required 15% units.  It is intended to provide housing for village employees, a population that has too much income for the affordable units but not enough to find local housing. The workforce units are not subsidized by any government agency and are intended for incomes up to 125% of median household income in Westchester County.   

Since the Committee was created, the need for affordable housing units has only increased, and the conversion of Hastings rental apartment buildings to condo and coop ownership has added urgency.  We also acknowledge the county-wide and regional need, in addition to the pressing need within our village.