Governor Hochul Announces More Than 300 Municipalities Across the State Launched Applications for Pro-Housing Community Certification

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that 335 New York municipalities have launched applications to be certified as Pro-Housing Communities, 162 of which have already been certified, including major cities in every region of the state. The Governor made the announcement while touring Three Mile Harbor Housing in East Hampton, a recently certified Pro-Housing Community. The Pro-Housing Communities Program, launched by Governor Hochul last year as part of a package of Executive Actions to increase the housing supply, recognizes municipalities for their commitment to housing growth. As part of the FY25 Enacted Budget, the Governor secured an agreement to make the Pro-Housing Community certification a requirement to be eligible for up to $650 million in state discretionary funding.

"We are confronting New York's housing crisis head-on by working with local leaders to grow our housing supply, build new homes and make New York more affordable for everyone," Governor Hochul said. "More than 300 communities across the state, including rural towns, villages and major cities in every region, are unlocking housing growth to ensure families have access to quality homes - supporting residents, building our economy and helping our communities reach their full potential."

The full list of communities that have received certification can be found on the New York State Homes and Community Renewal website.

New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, "Cities, towns, and villages across New York are recognizing that housing and a healthy economy go hand-in-hand. In the coming years, the innovative Pro-Housing Communities Program will undoubtedly help boost our housing supply and create the types of strong communities that make a real difference in people's lives. We're proud that more than 160 localities have been certified to date and the list continues to grow - it means Governor Hochul's commitment to making New York more affordable and better place to live is a goal shared by our local partners across the state."

In 2023, Governor Hochul signed an Executive Order to establish the Pro-Housing Community Program to recognize and reward municipalities actively working to unlock their housing potential and encourage others to follow suit. Localities that have successfully unlocked housing growth or committed to taking important steps to support housing, such as by streamlining permitting and adopting pro-housing policies, and that have applied and submitted critical housing and zoning data to the state, will receive a certification from New York State Homes and Community Renewal that will make them eligible for up to $650 million in state discretionary funding. The discretionary funding programs include:

• Downtown Revitalization Initiative, administered by the Department of State
• NY Forward, administered by the Department of State
• Regional Council Capital Fund, administered by Empire State Development
• New York Main Street, administered by New York State Homes and Community Renewal
• Market New York capital grants, administered by Empire State Development
• Mid-Hudson Momentum Fund, administered by Empire State Development
• Public Transportation Modernization Enhancement Program, administered by the Department of Transportation

The New York Forward and Downtown Revitalization Initiative programs opened the applications for their next funding rounds Tuesday, August 6 and applications close on Friday, October 18 at 4:00 p.m. Municipalities must be certified by HCR as a Pro-Housing Community in order to receive a grant award through these programs.

HCR is reviewing program applications on a rolling basis and will provide approval or denial within 90 days of submission. Application requirements and materials are available on the program website.

Governor Hochul's Housing Agenda

Today's announcement complements Governor Hochul's $25 billion five-year Housing Plan which is on track to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide, addressing New York's housing crisis by making the state more affordable and more livable for all New Yorkers. More than 40,000 homes have been created or preserved to date. As part of the FY25 Enacted Budget, the Governor secured a landmark agreement to increase New York's housing supply through new tax incentives for Upstate communities, new incentives and relief from certain state-imposed restrictions to create more housing in New York City, a $500 million capital fund to build up to 15,000 new homes on state-owned property, an additional $600 million in funding to support a variety of housing developments statewide, and new protections for renters and homeowners.

Contact the Governor's Press Office