Mamaroneck REVIEW THE
January 6, 2017 | Vol. 5, Number 1 | www.mamaroneckreview.com
TIGERS SHOW UP AT
Cuomo approves 8 new Westchester hotel taxes By FRANCO FINO Staff Writer
COUNTY CENTER Iona Prep’s Josh Alexander defends Mamaroneck’s Ethan Renner in the finals of the Slam Dunk Tournament at the Westchester County Center on Dec. 29. The Tigers advanced to the title game with a win over Uniondale but fell 64-41 to the Gaels. For story, see page 15. Photo/Mike Smith
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 HOUSING continued on page 7
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 HOTEL continued on page 9