Division of Housing & Community Renewal

The Office of Policy Research and Development (OPRD) staff is responsible for studying the housing needs of the State and assisting with the development of appropriate policies. The Office promotes a holistic, forward thinking collaborative approach by researching and identifying best practices and initiatives to address the State's housing needs and the broader goals of the Governor's housing related agenda.

Statewide Housing Needs Study

OPRD oversees the development of reports and studies related to affordable housing and community development issues and needs across the State. The Statewide Housing Needs Study, issued in May 2009, is an effort to truly understand the housing needs of communities across the State. This study and related Regional Reports will be used as tools to inform not only the public but DHCR staff to help determine if New York State's housing programs are suited to meet the needs of its residents.

Sustainable Development

OPRD serves as the Agency's primary liaison for matters related to sustainable development and green affordable housing. An important focus of the Office is on environmental and energy issues as they relate to affordable housing and community development, such as promoting energy efficiency, green buildings, brownfield redevelopment and smart growth principles. The Division of Housing and Community Renewal is committed to expanding the agency's focus on sustainable development and aligning community development and affordable housing investment strategies with environmentally responsible building practices. Green affordable housing, in addition to increasing resource efficiency and reducing environmental impacts, can yield cost savings for both building owners and tenants through long-term reduction in operating expenses. The benefits include improved energy performance and comfort, a healthier indoor environment, increased durability of building components, and simplified maintenance requirements that can lead to financial efficiencies for property managers and owners. Green building practices improve the economics of managing affordable housing while enhancing quality of life for residents.

Green Buildings

DHCR continues to develop policies geared toward promoting environmentally responsive and healthy building principles and practices. In November 2007, DHCR introduced a new Green Building Initiative (GBI) under the Low-Income Housing Trust Fund Program and HOME Program to encourage the development of green, sustainable affordable housing by including incentives in the DHCR funding process. Information on the GBI is outlined in DHCR's annual Request for Proposals for Capital Programs.

Information on green building incentives for the rehabilitation of rental or owner-occupied housing and Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) single family home ownership projects is outlined in the Request for Proposals New York State HOME Program (LPA).

Green building incentives have also been included in the state's Qualified Allocation Plan, a document that sets guidelines for the distribution of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal and State Low Income Housing Tax Credits for affordable housing. Developers who meet DHCR's green building criteria gain a significant advantage in the competitive application process.

DHCR's green building criteria are closely modeled after Enterprise's Green Communities and provide for an integrated design approach to green development. This approach promotes the involvement of the entire development team from the beginning of project development to insure that all aspects of the project are considered. DHCR's green building criteria incorporates energy efficiency, smart growth practices, a healthy living environment and protection of environmental resources into project development. A Green Building Criteria Reference Manual is available on our website at http://nysdhcr.gov/Funding/ to educate and assist developers in creating sustainable and healthier housing.

Energy Efficiency

DHCR's Energy Efficiency Initiative (EEI) provides Low-Income Housing Trust Fund Program and HOME Program funding to encourage developers to incorporate energy efficiency measures into both new construction and rehabilitation of affordable housing projects. Developers may achieve these measures through participation in various national or state energy efficiency programs as outlined in DHCR annual Request for Proposals for Capital Programs.

Energy efficiency incentives have also been included in the state's Qualified Allocation Plan, a document that sets guidelines for the distribution of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal and State Low Income Housing Tax Credits for affordable housing. Developers who meet DHCR's energy efficiency criteria gain a significant advantage in the competitive application process. Information on energy conservation incentives for the rehabilitation of rental or owner-occupied housing and Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) single family home ownership projects is outlined in the Request for Proposals New York State HOME Program (LPA).

Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP)
DHCR assists income-eligible families and individuals by reducing their heating/cooling costs and improving the safety of their homes through energy efficiency measures through the WAP. The program receives funding from the U.S. Departments of Energy and Health & Human Services and is the largest residential energy conservation program in the Country. Both single-family and multi-family buildings are assisted through the Program.

Smart Growth

OPRD serves as the Agency's representative on the Governor's Smart Growth Cabinet. The goal of the Cabinet is to review state agency spending and policies to determine how best to discourage sprawl and promote smart land use practices, coordinate cross-agency activities and develop smart growth policies to address the State's regional needs. Policy staff also serves as the Agency's representative on the Cabinet's Transit-Oriented Development Subcommittee, participating in the Inter-Agency Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Incentive Package. This multi-agency, collaborative initiative is a partnership between Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) and the Governor's Smart Growth Cabinet. The package offers incentives from a variety of agencies in the form of technical support and other resources to encourage transit-oriented development projects at or near MTA transit stations. As part of this package, DHCR has agreed to encourage, through the Green Building Initiative and incentives under the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program, the development of affordable housing that incorporates smart growth principles. Applications for affordable housing funding and tax credit allocation which include projects located near public transit services, existing development and infrastructure will have an advantage in the competitive funding process.

Brownfield Redevelopment

DHCR encourages brownfield redevelopment as a way to foster the revitalization of neighborhoods. By incentivizing the remediation of former brownfield sites through DHCR's green building criteria, developers and communities can address the need to clean-up hazardous and contaminated sites, while meeting the need for affordable housing. DHCR is committed to working with other agencies who administer statewide brownfield redevelopment programs, such as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York State Department of State in order to rejuvenate communities adversely affected by brownfields and contaminated sites.

Brownfields Smart Growth Spotlight Communities Initiative

Staff from OPRD represents DHCR as a key state agency involved in the Governor's Brownfields Smart Growth Spotlight Communities Initiative and coordinates the agency's efforts to assist the selected communities to achieve their housing and community development goals. The goal of the initiative is to utilize existing state programs to complement local efforts to redevelop brownfield sites and achieve neighborhood revitalization and smart growth objectives. This initiative links three chosen communities participating in the state's Brownfield Opportunity Program (BOA) with the Governor's Smart Growth Cabinet. The three communities chosen as spotlight communities targeted for neighborhood revitalization are the Wyandanch Hamlet in the Town of Babylon (Suffolk County), South Buffalo and the South Bronx.

Environmental Justice

OPRD represents the Agency on the Governor's Environmental Justice Interagency Task Force, established in June 2008 to address environmental justice concerns in New York State. The goal of the Task Force is to encourage state agencies to focus efforts on addressing disproportionate adverse environmental impacts that may exist in communities, particularly low-income and communities of color, and to ensure equal access to the decision-making process. OPRD staff coordinates the Agency's input to the Task Force concerning housing and community development issues and has developed DHCR's Environmental Justice Action Agenda.

Prevention of Childhood Lead Poisoning

OPRD represents the Agency on the Governor's Task Force on the Prevention of Childhood Lead Poisoning. The task force was established to further the State's efforts to eliminate childhood lead poisoning in New York State. The Governor's Task Force brings together a number of State agencies to make findings and recommendation for the development and implementation of a coordinated statewide strategy to reduce childhood exposure to lead. In carrying out its duties, the Task Force will consult with a variety of stakeholders, including advocacy groups for the environment, children's welfare and health care, which have been instrumental in focusing attention on and seeking solutions to the problem of childhood lead poisoning.

Last Updated: 11/18/09