Committee will investigate housing and propose fixes over next 2 years

August 24, 2023 at 12:22 a.m.

Construction is progressing on the Tarry Lighthouse mixed use development encompassing the entire North Main Street block between Highland and Mill streets. The 6-story building will house retail space, 209 luxury apartments with amenities and a valet parking garage. (Richard Abel/Westmore News)

The availability of all types of housing, and not just the luxury rental type that most developers are proposing to build at many locations in the village, is of vital concern to members of the Port Chester Board of Trustees. Housing has on many occasions been the subject of their discussions. Back in May, four members of the board (the other three were absent) voted to constitute a Housing Task Force to address “the availability of safe, affordable and secure housing” in the village.

After outreach in the Westmore News, Westchester Hispano, on the Village of Port Chester website and on social media, 12 members have come forward to state their interest in serving on such a committee.

Those individuals were appointed at the Aug. 7 meeting of the Board of Trustees in a unanimous vote. They are:

Margaret (Mahogany) Adamson

Arley Arno

Lisa A. Cordasco

Chester Edwards

Monica Fonseca

Jane Lippman

Kathy Pendekakes

Catrina R. Shivers, Esq.

Aldo V. Vitagliano, Esq.

Andrew Weiss

Ursula Winchell

Luis Yumbla

In establishing the committee, the board stated that the body’s mission would be “to provide an understanding of the existing housing supply, identify housing needs and trends to support the current and future populations of the village, define opportunities within the existing housing stock, in future development and with the tools available through land use planning and zoning to incentivize and preserve integrated and affordable workforce and middle-income housing for the long-term benefit of the community.”

Their duties and responsibilities will be:

• Identify gaps that exist in finding safe, affordable and secure housing in the village
• Serve as a liaison to the community
• Sponsor education and training programs
• Interface with community and neighborhood organizations
• Conduct public forums
• Recommend actions to the board on housing matters

Members are required to be residents or stakeholders in the village and represent a cross-section of the community.

They shall designate a chair, vice chair and secretary from their own membership and meet at least once a month on the call of the chair or two members. They will meet at Village Hall or the Senior/Community Center and comply with the requirements of the Open Meetings Law.

Upon request, they may utilize outside resources.

They must provide progress reports and be available to the board for a public presentation at least once a quarter and a final report two years from the May 15 adoption of the document forming the committee.

Although no date has been set for the group’s first meeting, Village Trustee Joan Grangenois-Thomas, who has been a strong proponent of addressing the village’s housing issue, wrote in an email that “I suspect they will meet sometime in September. I will want to be at the first gathering, whenever that will be, and then leave it up to the group to organize themselves.”

Village Clerk Janusz Richards said the dates, times and places of meetings will be listed on the village’s website at portchesterny.gov as they will be open to the public.