Washingtonville Housing Alliance Statement on Village Board Decision

March 26, 2025

In the last few minutes of the March 24 regular meeting of the Village of Mamaroneck Board of Trustees, without appearing on the agenda, the Board elected to rescind the RFP for the Hunter Tier lot and rescinded WHA’s preferred developer status. Throughout this process, the current Board of Trustees has not met with us a single time.

This decision rejects a proposal that would have delivered 62 flood-resilient affordable apartments – half of which were designated for Village of Mamaroneck flood victims – along with a new 180-space public parking lot, all at no cost to the Village. The stated justification for this reversal is based on a manufactured controversy over emails that revealed no improper dealings, only the standard advocacy efforts of a local affordable housing nonprofit.
The Mayor has now directed the Village to pursue a new, larger RFP that includes additional sites and incorporates market-rate housing. Given the concerns previously raised about the scale of development and the Village’s own Affordable Housing Task Force highlighting the critical need for more affordable housing, it is perplexing that the next step would be to expand the project while making it less accessible to those most in need.
At Hunter Tier, the Village had a rare and transformative opportunity to meet this need—and last night, that opportunity was lost.

What now? At this inflection point, Washingtonville Housing Alliance remains steadfast in our mission to provide safe, affordable housing and services that strengthen our community. We join the many other local voices urging the Village to take meaningful action to address the urgent need for affordable housing. Ensuring that residents can continue to live and thrive in the community is essential to the Village’s long-term vitality and economic stability.

The Opportunity

The Westchester Housing Needs Assessment of 2019 shows a housing demand for the Village of Mamroneck of 1,770. Over the past 30 years, rents have increased by 90% while incomes have increased by 15%, adjusting for inflation. The median price for a home in the Village now exceeds $1 Million.

We simply need to build housing for our local workforce to support a thriving community.

In 2023, the Village of Mamaroneck released a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Hunter Tier Parking Lot (across from the village courthouse). The existing structure is deteriorated and in need of a total rebuild. A new development will provide new public parking and create attractive, sustainable housing that is attainable for the workforce of our community, all at no cost to the village.

Our Proposal: Hunter Terrace

The Washingtonville Housing Alliance – the only housing focused nonprofit organization located in the Village – proposed Hunter Terrace. Hunter Terrace offers a beautiful, green design and would provide a new 180-space parking lot for residents and the public, 62-units of housing for households earning between $30k to $120k annually, and a central Community Hub offering public programming.

Hunter Terrace was selected by the Village Board of Trustees in September, 2024. Then, in late 2024, New York State announced that they would provide a rather unprecedented 50% preference for income-eligible flood-impacted Mamaroneck residents. This guarantees a minimum of 31 units for existing Mamaroneck residents.

Despite all this, it is now likely the RFP will be rescinded and this whole concept could be in jeopardy. This would be a major lost opportunity for the Village of Mamaroneck – for affordable housing and for community investment and economic development.

The Hunter Terrace development would:

  •  Be built at no cost to the Village
  • Provide a new 180-space parking lot
  • Serve flood-impacted Village residents
  • Include flood mitigation features
  • Pay property taxes
  • Continue to generate parking revenue
  • Offer abundant amenities for tenants
  • Provide a central public community space