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Tarrytown Amends Affordable Housing Law

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. – Developers trying to meet Tarrytown's affordable housing requirement now have the option of purchasing units off-site if the Board of Trustees approves.

Trustees unanimously approved an amendment to the zoning code allowing subdivision developers to fulfill the requirement by buying affordable units in existing condominiums and cooperatives or by buying affordable single-family homes.

“It has been determined that greater specificity is necessary in the zoning code to address the purchase of such existing units to meet the requirements of the law,” the approved resolution reads.

Tarrytown has had provisions for some form of affordable housing in its zoning code since 1989. In response to the Westchester Housing Settlement, trustees adopted a modified version of the county's model ordinance in December 2011.

The new ordinance stipulates that at least 10 percent of subdivisions with 10 or more units must be affordable. Subdivisions with eight or nine units must provide one affordable unit.

Developers of subdivisions with seven units must pay $200,000, or 30 percent of the average construction cost for a unit, into an affordable housing development fund set up by the village. Subdivisions with six units must pay $150,000, or 25 percent, and subdivisions with five units must pay $100,000, or 20 percent.

Recent changes allow off-site affordable housing requests from developers. The requests must be approved by the trustees.

Off-site units must meet certain square-footage and gross floor area requirements depending on the size of the subdivision units: subdivision homes up to 1,500 square feet require an off-site unit with one bedroom. Homes between 1,501 and 4,999 square feet require two bedrooms if developers wish to purchase off-site housing. Homes 5,000 square feet or larger require off-site units with three bedrooms

The law stipulates that in addition to purchasing existing units in the village, developers must pay 20 percent of the average cost to construct a unit into the affordable housing development fund.

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