The Legislation and Codes Committee on June 25 heard a resolution urging the Yonkers Department of Information Technology to provide an online registry of available affordable rental units using information developed by the planning department.

Council member Corazon Pineda Isaac, who introduced the resolution, said she receives frequent constituent requests for information about how to apply for newly built affordable units and that a single searchable place could help prospective renters find properties and application links.

Nut graf: Information technology staff told the committee the city can build the registry, but the operational challenge is keeping the data current; planning and housing officials said many affordable units are marketed through existing wait lists and certification processes, so a registry will require cooperation from property owners, managers, or housing authorities.

IT commissioner Bob Kakais told the committee, “This really isn't an IT issue. We can build this system. The issue here is where do you get the data and where do you get the cooperation of the people who own the housing to, monthly, let's say, supply system with the available units.” Planning director Jaime Martinez explained that inclusionary zoning (the city’s AHO ordinance) identifies required affordable units at the site‑plan stage and that many developments work with the Yonkers Municipal Housing Authority or other certified managers to place units and manage wait lists. Martinez noted annual certification requirements for many affordable units.

Speakers discussed a possible phased approach: build a registry that initially lists buildings with affordable units and links to contacts or existing waiting‑list processes, then expand toward more frequent unit‑level updates if owners or managers agree to provide data. Commissioners suggested allowing property managers or developers to upload data directly to a city portal to avoid creating extra staff workload.

Ending: Committee members agreed to continue work on the proposal and planned to revisit the item in September with more operational detail and recommendations for data sources and participation models.