Senator Steve Rhoads Joins Hempstead Town Supervisor Clavin, Assemblyman Ra, and A Coalition of Local Elected Officials From All Over New York State To Rally Against Hochul's Housing Compact

Albany, NY – As the deadline for the New York State Budget looms on April 1st, Senator Rhoads joined Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin, and Assemblyman Ed Ra to lead a collective of local elected officials from all over New York State to rally in opposition to a provision in the budget that would remove local control over zoning laws. The law makers and community leaders rallied together with signs and banners reading “Local Control, Not Hochul Control” inside the New York State Capitol Building, where they brought the fight to Albany just outside the Governor’s office in the event Governor Hochul could not hear the countless cries of outrage from all over New York State. The group included Rockville Centre Mayor Fran Murray – a past president of the New York Association of Mayors, Town Supervisors from Wallkill, Clay, Salina, Lysander, Cicero, Pittsford, Saint Johnsville, Granby, Chester, Mount Hope and more. Also in attendance were Senator Anthony Palumbo, Senator Dean Murray, Lynbrook Mayor Alan Beach, and environmental expert Eric Swenson, Director of the Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee and Secretary to the Friends of the Bay.

Senator Steve Rhoads said, “We are here in Albany, just footsteps away from Governor Hochul’s office, to demand local control – not Hochul control. The Governor’s heavy-handed approach with trying to control what happens in our local municipalities is reckless and irresponsible. Local residents deserve the right to determine what goes on in their communities. That’s what this fight is about. We are concerned about seniors and young people being able to afford to stay on Long Island, but these are issues we are taking the steps to address on our own. The Governor should be listening to local elected officials from across the State who are telling her that what she is trying to do would drastically change the character of our communities. Allow those of us who actually know Long Island, the streets of Syracuse or Buffalo, to determine what we are going to do with respect to our own jurisdictions and housing. This conversation is much bigger than to be crammed into a few week budget cycle. I plan to work with Democratic majorities in the State Senate and Assembly to make sure this is out of the budget so that we can have a workable conversation as to how we can best meet our resident’s needs and maintain local control for our municipalities.”

“America’s largest township has been very vocal against Governor Hochul’s plan to remove local authority over zoning laws,” said Supervisor Clavin. “From a petition of more than 20,000 signatures to multiple denouncements of the housing plan, Governor Hochul continues to ignore her constituents. Removing the ability for local municipalities to oversee their housing development is wrong, and that’s why we brought a collective voice from all over New York State to Albany – where we know she’ll hear us.” “

The message is clear: Local Control, Not Hochul Control,” said Assemblyman Ra. “The call has been repeated time and time again, this time we’re bringing the statewide call right to Albany. As the budget deadline draws near, I urge Governor Hochul to listen to the hundreds of municipalities who stand in opposition to her egregious housing plan.”

The provision that has spurred outrage from residents and elected officials all over the state is the New York State Housing Compact – a plan in the Governor’s proposed budget that would oversee the building of 800,000 homes in New York State over the next decade. Included in this plan, is the authority to override local zoning laws, allowing high-density multifamily housing to be developed in areas zoned for single-family housing. This plan ignores input from local municipalities and seeks to increase the amount of housing units by 1% in upstate counties, and 3% on Long Island.

Also included in the New York State Housing Compact is a provision that would force high-density housing around every MTA Station (especially the Long Island Rail Road) in a half-mile radius. Neighbors would see multifamily high-rises built in suburban single-family neighborhoods, and they would lose their ability to retain the desired suburban quality-of-life that many seek when moving to these neighborhoods.