Chapter 215 hearing continues for Stony Point

On Thursday, February 22, Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17) hosted a Financial Services Committee Field Hearing on housing at the Rockland County Legislature. Officially entitled “Restoring Prosperity in American Communities: Examining the Failures of Status Quo Housing Policy,” the hearing was co-run by Congressman Warren Davidson (OH-08) and Congressman Mike Flood (NE-01).

Witnesses included Teresa M. Kenny (Supervisor of Orangetown), John Ketchum (Fellow and Director of Cities, Manhattan Institute), Ralph D. Amicucci (Amicucci Associates, P.C., Attorneys at Law, on behalf of the Institute of Real Estate Management, New York Chapter), and Leah Goodridge (Managing Attorney for Housing Policy, Mobilization for Justice).

“Today’s hearing is about restoring prosperity in American communities by examining the failures of status-quo housing policies,” said Congressman Davidson. “This is an important topic that we have correctly devoted a lot of attention to in this Congress and frankly, previous Congresses.”

Davidson went on to explain that over the last year, the Financial Services Committee has held six hearings exploring various aspects of how Americans’ lives are being impacted by “bad government decisions” related to local citizens not having the same resources as big cities to handle the housing crisis, yet being subject to the same mandates. He noted that the result of this impact is “reduced prosperity, reduced customer choice, and reduced optimism that things are going to get better any time soon.”

During the hearing, the four witnesses testified as to how poor housing policies have affected New Yorkers and, more specifically, citizens of Rockland. Issues that were discussed included the pandemic’s effect on the housing market, public housing, the implications of rent stabilization, and the lack of affordable housing units across the state.

Noting that high real estate taxes and outdated zoning laws have contributed to the crisis, Supervisor Kenney emphasized the role local government must play in finding a solution.

“I will say without hesitation that local governments need to step up to the plate and need to look for ways to streamline the approval process to amend outdated zoning and planning laws to allow for more flexible, condensed housing styles in nontraditional settings,” said Supervisor Kenney. “They must engage with the public and educate them on the need to adapt to the changing landscape—to reinvent our notion of what a home looks like.”