January 6, 2017 by The Eastchester Review

Eastchester REVIEW THE

January 6, 2017 | Vol. 5, Number 1 | www.eastchesterreview.com

Cuomo approves 8 new Westchester hotel taxes By FRANCO FINO Staff Writer

GUN

CONTROL?

Some Westchester County lawmakers voted to reinstate a ban on gun shows at county-owned facilities, which was lifted in 2010. However, County Executive Rob Astorino is likely to veto the ban ahead of a gun expo to be held at the Westchester County Center later this month. For story, see page 6. File photo

Westchester County meets housing deadline; still must submit AI By COREY STOCKTON Staff Writer Four days before a courtimposed deadline, Westchester County has met and exceeded the core obligations of its 2009 settlement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD, county officials said. During a Dec. 27 press conference, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, a Republican, announced that the county had financed and arranged building permits for more than 750 affordable housing units in its 31 of its predominately Caucasian communities, surpassing a benchmark set in a 2009 settlement with HUD. Astorino said that the county has financing and

permits in place for 790 units, with additional provisions in place to build at least 100 more units in 2017. In 2006, the Anti-Discrimination Center of Metro New York, ADC, sued Westchester for collecting annual federal block grant money to promote fair housing, and not doing enough to respond to housing needs in its communities. According to the 2010 census, the county population is 15 percent AfricanAmerican and 22 percent Hispanic; but several municipalities within the county had less than 2 percent of an African-American population and less than 5 percent Hispanic population. Facing a multimillion dollar lawsuit, the county—under the direction of former County Ex-

ecutive Andy Spano, a Democrat—agreed to settle the case by promoting affordable housing in 31 of its communities, including building at least 750 units and analyzing zoning laws in a seven-year period. During his press conference, Astorino, who fought the settlement after defeating Spano and taking office in 2010, maintained his position that the population disparity was a result of economics and not discriminatory zoning practice. But Craig Gurian, executive director of the ADC, told the Review, “The county executive’s statement, as usual, is breathtakingly dishonest.” According to the ADC, some of the units that Westchester built do not comply with the terms of the settlement,

which mandates that the county prepare at least 630 units in municipalities with the lowest minority populations. According to the ADC, the county only prepared 283 units in those areas. “When you exclude the cheating units, the county is actually hundreds of units short,” Gurian added. “I couldn’t care less, really, what the ADC has to say at this point,” Astorino said in the county press office in White Plains. “I’m just concerned about making sure we finish the terms of the settlement and that we move on.” The county will still have to meet additional requirements outlined in the settlement before HOUSING continued on page 9

Gov. Andrew Cuomo authorized eight municipalities in Westchester County to implement an occupancy tax on hotel and motel patrons, following strong recommendations from state and local officials throughout the Lower Hudson Valley region. On Dec. 31, the villages and towns of Harrison, Tuckahoe, North Castle, Mamaroneck, Port Chester, Dobbs Ferry, Greenburgh, and Hastings-On-Hudson were given the authority to levy the 3 percent occupancy tax. Cuomo, a Democrat, approved the measures after vetoing the bills last year and expressing disinterest in granting towns and villages the ability to levy the tax. State Assemblyman David Buchwald, a Democrat, explained that the desirability of the tax for local governments is that it provides municipalities the ability to generate revenue outside of the need to increase property taxes on local residents, since most patrons of hotels are from outside the community. “Hopefully this will enable property taxpayers to get a bit of relief and ensure folks that stay in hotels that make use of a town’s services to chip in a bit, too.” Among those that already impose a hotel tax include the village of Rye Brook, the cities of New Rochelle, Yonkers, White Plains, and Rye—the first municipality in the county that was given the authority to levy the tax in 2006—and Westchester County, which implements a 3 percent hotel tax of its own. Harrison Mayor Ron Belmont,

a Republican, said the tax will likely generate as much as $600,000 for the town from stays at local hotels including the Renaissance Westchester Hotel, which is located at 80 West Red Oak Lane, the Hyatt House on Westchester Avenue, and the Westchester Country Club on North Street. Belmont added any amount of additional revenue could positively impact the town of Harrison, even $100,000. “Maybe we won’t have to be as stringent as we have in the past,” he said. As of press time, there are only two hotels located in the village of Mamaroneck, the Mamaroneck Motel at 1015 W. Boston Post Road, and Vincent and Sons, located at 1514 E. Boston Post Road. Several lodges and country clubs would be affected by the law as well, including the Mamaroneck Beach and Yacht Club, the Beach Point Club, the Orienta Beach Club, and the Hampshire Country Club. Mamaroneck Trustee Leon Potok, a Democrat, said, “The authorization to levy an occupancy tax on hotel and motel guests will allow the village to very slightly reduce its dependence on property taxes for funding expenses.” There are currently no hotels in the village of Tuckahoe; however, the village Planning Board recently approved the controversial development of a Marriott SpringHill Suites hotel on Marbledale Road. According to Buchwald, each municipality will generate a different amount of revenue from the HOTEL continued on page 11