Astorino, Feds Continue Dispute Over Housing, Block Grants

Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino is continuing his years-long battle with the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, and millions of dollars in grants hangs in the balance.

HUD and Astorino have been in a dispute for years over an affordable housing settlement, and as a result, HUD has been withholding millions of dollars in Community Development Block Grants to exert leverage over the county.

Astorino is fighting the issue in part because he says HUD is trying to rewrite the settlement to give the feds an exorbitant amount of power over local zoning matters.

"This plan puts local control of zoning in extreme jeopardy," said Astorino in a statement. "If not stopped, HUD will hit the daily double: Washington bureaucrats get control of local zoning and local elected officials and communities are left defenseless."

To drive through the changes, the feds have withheld $25 million in block grants - money that would go to Westchester communities for various housing and development efforts - since 2011, according to The Journal News.

"It makes no sense to give up control of local zoning," Astorino continued in his statement. "We can replace the CDBG money on our own and do it cheaply. More important, even if we give HUD everything it wants, there's no guarantee the federal government will release the funds promised to Westchester."