Gov. Kathy Hochul withdrew a controversial proposal that critics — including a vocal contingent on Long Island — argued would usurp local governments’ power to regulate single-family and multi-family housing across New York State.
The governor had included the proposal mandating local governments pass legislation allowing accessory dwelling units (ADUs) — apartments in basements, attics, or garages — in her draft of the state budget, which the State Legislature has a deadline of April 1 to pass. Nassau and Suffolk county lawmakers joined local town and village leaders in blasting the idea as an ill-advised attempt to address the affordable housing crisis. After officials spent two weeks hammering home that message, Hochul pulled the proposal on Thursday, the day she earned the Democratic nomination in her gubernatorial campaign.
