Rockland Housing Forum Tackles High Costs, Explores New Pathways
POMONA, NY—The complex issues facing the residential housing market in Rockland County drew hundreds of major stakeholders on April 25 to develop strategies with goals to overcome some of those obstacles in the years ahead.
The Third Annual Rockland County Housing Forum, held at the county’s Fire Training Center in Pomona, heard developers, state and county housing agency officials, and planning and legal experts present their views during a nearly full-day program of panel discussions and presentations. Among the topics were:
• Fair Housing
• Lead Hazard Remediation
• New York State Rental Registry
• Adaptive Reuse of Underutilized Spaces
• Brownfields
• Federal/State Housing Initiatives
• Update of Rockland County’s Comprehensive Plan.
Rockland County Executive Ed Day stated, “There is no doubt that Rockland County faces housing challenges that impact a wide range of residents—from teachers and first responders to seniors and working families—we also see tremendous opportunities.” He called for stakeholders to explore innovative, sustainable solutions that ensure everyone has access to safe, affordable housing and can build strong community connections.
Chief of Staff to County Executive Day John Lyon opened the forum on housing, which he said has become “more urgent, more complex and even more essential. To say we face a crisis is a bit of an understatement.”
Earlier this year, Rockland County announced four winners of funding from its Housing Action Loan Opportunity (HALO) program involving up to $13.5 million in loans. Mr. Lyon also reported that Rockland County will soon issue a Request for Proposals for the redevelopment of the Sain Building, which was used for county government operations, into a mixed-use property that will feature workforce housing. The Sain Building has been vacant since 2017.
This year’s forum featured a keynote speech from Commissioner/CEO Visnauskas of New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), who noted that her department has provided assistance for a total of about 350 units in Rockland County in recent times. However, state assistance has only helped build 14 new units in the county. She added the county has a good pipeline of projects that will be eligible for state funding assistance.
by John Jordan
Comprehensive Plan Sessions
Rockland County announced that it will host a series of five in-person public workshops to gather community input for “Envision Rockland,” the Countywide Comprehensive Plan update. The workshops’ locations and dates are:
Haverstraw Center
50 W. Broad Street
Haverstraw, NY 10927
Thurs., May 8, 6:30-8:30 pm
Palisades Mall
1000 Palisades Center Drive
4th Floor – Adler Community Room
West Nyack, NY 10994
Wed., May 21, 6:30-8:30 pm
Patriot Hills Senior & Community Center
19 Clubhouse Lane
Stony Point, NY 10980
Wed., May 28, 6:30-8:30 pm
Rockland County Fire Training Center
35 Firemen’s Memorial Drive
Pomona, NY 10970
Thurs., May 29, 6:30-8:30 pm
St. Thomas Aquinas College
Romano Student Alumni Center
125 Route 340
Sparkill, NY 10976
Thurs., June 5, 6:30-8:30 pm
Published: May 7, 2025