The Suburb That Defied Nimby
affordable housing stock by nearly two-thirds. Officials said they would give first preference to artists certified by the city. New Rochelle is emerging as a potential blueprint for overcoming the various political, financial and community obstacles that have made efforts to build multifamily housing in the suburbs an often insurmountable task.
The mayor, other city officials and executives at RXR, the property developer that led the construction, expedited the zoning and environment review process. They also spent a year talking to city residents at public hearings, online forums and during informal meetings to help shape the building plan and win over local opinion. “We have a model that can be replicated," said New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson.
Economists estimate the U.S. has a housing shortage in the millions. New York state alone will need more than 800,000 additional housing units by 2032, according to the Regional Plan Association, a nonprofit that studies the New York metropolitan area.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is calling on New York’s suburban counties to help produce more housing. New Rochelle selected RXR in 2014, and the city council approved their master plan for new housing units the following year.
Unlike many other cities, which approve new zoning for apartment buildings on a piecemeal basis, New Rochelle effectively approved thousands of units at once. Under this streamlined process, the city council agreed to forfeit the power to debate and raise objections to each apartment building in exchange for moving ahead quickly. RXR also played a role in speeding the development along.
Read more on livemint.com
