The BRI Unveils Legislative Agenda for 2025
(March 6, 2025) Housing is vital to economic growth, directly impacting workforce stability, consumer spending, local tax revenue, and overall community development. In fact, counties, cities, and towns thrive when a diverse range of housing options is available to meet the needs of individuals and families. Unfortunately, housing production in New York State has not kept pace with demand, leaving too many individuals and families vulnerable to homelessness. Many working-class families cannot afford to call Westchester County home, a trend that is intensifying each year.Ā
The BRI is committed to promoting practical solutions that improve the lives of all residents in our region. We support smart growth and the development of housing at all levelsāmarket-rate, affordable, and supportiveāto strengthen our communities.Ā Ā
Ā We believe the emergency atmosphere of the pandemic eroded collaboration in our legislative process, leading to short-sighted solutions with dramatic unintended consequences, many of which have gone too far.
Our legislative agenda is focused on advocating for those practical solutions to benefit our members and society at large, addressing the unintended consequences of some of the efforts to deal with the pandemic, and pulling back some of the overreach that has occurred.Ā Ā
The LEGISLATIVE AGENDA FOR 2025 reflects our values, our years of experience, our deep knowledge of how our industry works āon the ground,ā and our commitment to being a proactive, positive part of the solution to our housing shortage:Ā
GOAL 1. Stabilizing the multifamily residential market and improving our ability to restore old, inadequate, or out-of-date housing.
Ā GOAL 2. Removing local zoning barriers to building the housing we need and outdated policies that make it more expensive and inefficient to build in New York State.
Ā GOAL 3. Keep non-profit housing cooperatives affordable for first-time homeowners, downsizing seniors, and others by avoiding layering on additional costs.