Sold-Out Armonk Affordable Housing Celebrated

ARMONK, NY — Joined Sept. 8 by community leaders, housing advocates and executives from Lazz Development, Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino celebrated the opening of Armonk Commons. The townhouse development of 10 affordable units in North Castle is part of the Byram Hills school district.

Six homes have been sold and are occupied while another four are in the sale process. The final
sales prices, after all subsidies, are between $208,000 and $218,000 and are affordable to families whose income is at 80 percent of the Westchester County Area Median Income, which for 2017 is $71,360 for a two-person household and $80,240 for a three-person household.

According to the county, the median household income as of the 2005-09 U.S. Census American Community Survey was $79,585. According to the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors, the 2016 median sale price in Westchester was $640,000 for a single-family home, $357,750 for a condo and $153,000 for a co-op.

The two-bedroom duplexes are on Old Route 22 in Armonk and are near public transportation, major
roadways, day care, houses of worship, retail and employment opportunities, county officials said. The homes are among nearly 850 units that the county is developing throughout Westchester in accordance with the 2009 housing settlement.

“The county continues to work cooperatively with developers, local municipalities and New York State
to ensure we are building affordable housing throughout Westchester,” said Astorino. “These units are the latest to be counted toward the agreement with federal government and show we are committed to delivering on this critical need.”

The homes will remain "affordable" for 50 years.

The county contributed $1.7 million through its affordable housing funds, which included $250,000 for the Town of North Castle to make infrastructure improvements and construct sidewalks connecting the homes to downtown Armonk.

“The Town of North Castle is pleased with the addition of home ownership, affordable units to our
community,” said Town Supervisor Michael Schiliro. “The improvements along the Old Route 22 corridor have been a collaborative effort between the county, the town and the state and I am happy to see it all coming together.”

In his remarks, Lou Larizza, president of Lazz Development, a Port Chester-based affordable housing
developer, lauded the hard work and efforts of all of the parties involved to make this development a reality.

“For 25 years, we’ve been building affordable housing in Westchester County, and we’re pleased to be
standing here today for this ribbon-cutting with the people who helped make it possible,” Larizza said. “It’s
truly a team effort, and one we are proud to be a part of.”

Information and applications for new units throughout Westchester are available on the county’s Homeseeker Web site, where interested families can view the information, download the application, and sign up to receive information on additional properties and open houses.

The county’s housing marketing consultant, the Housing Action Council (HAC), is handling the
marketing.

For more information on homes being built, information sessions and the income guidelines for
affordable housing, visit Westchester County’s Homeseeker web pages or contact the Housing Action Council by email at hac@affordablehomes.org, or by phone at (914)-332-4144.

County officials said in 2016 that Westchester had spent more than $1 million on marketing and outreach, well above the settlement’s $400,000 requirement. In all, they said Westchester has spent about $30 million more in compliance than the $51.6 million required under the terms of the settlement. Astorino said in 2016 the county had leveraged more than $172 million in other public funding, putting total subsidies at $233 million. That made the average taxpayer subsidy per settlement unit roughly $290,000.

SEE ALSO:

• HUD Settlement: Westchester's Zoning Not 'Exclusionary'
  
• Westchester Has Complied with Federal Affordable Housing Mandates
  
• County Exec Blasts HUD for Changing Terms of Affordable Housing Settlement
• County Executive: HUD Has a 'Utopian Vision'

PHOTOS/ contributed

• Armonk Commons
• At the ribbon-cutting: (Front row from left: Town Supervisor Michael Schiliro, Lou Larizza, president of Lazz Development, County Executive Robert Astorino, Michael Martino of Martino Real Estate, and Westchester County Commissioner of Planning Norma Drummond. Back row, from left: Deputy Supervisor Stephen D’Angelo, Town Board member Barbara DiGiacinto, North Castle Director of Planning Adam Kaufman, Town Board member Barry Reiter and Town Board member José Berra.