Westchester Agrees to Market Affordable Housing to Nonwhites

The United States government and the Anti-Discrimination Center of Metro New York sued Westchester County for housing discrimination. They claimed that Westchester failed to build affordable housing and reduce segregation in some of the county's more affluent communities. The parties settled the case. In a February 2009 ruling, the court said that Westchester failed to analyze how race could affect access to fair housing when it sought federal housing and development funds. The county claimed that that was a technicality, not a requirement, but ultimately reached a settlement agreement. The county agreed to building or acquire 750 apartments or houses in its suburban towns and villages in the next seven years. Of that number, 630 would be built in neighborhoods that are less than 3 percent black and 7 percent Hispanic. The agreement also calls for the county to market the homes throughout the county and in nearby areas with large nonwhite populations. The agreement further requires Westchester to pay the federal government $21.6 million, which the government will then return to the county to help pay for the housing. An additional $10.9 million will be paid to the antidiscrimination center, its lawyers, and the government.

United States of America v. Westchester County: No. 06 Civ. 2860 (SDNY; 8/10/09) [38-pg. doc.]