County planning official urges municipalities to pursue New York 'Pro‑Housing' certification to access state grants

David West, director of housing and community development for the Tompkins County planning department, urged municipal officials to pursue New York State's Pro-Housing Communities certification, saying certification is increasingly tied to state grant eligibility and competitiveness.

"The biggest reason is that it's now tied to being able to apply for a significant amount of the money that's available from New York State for projects in your municipalities," West said. He cited examples including the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and New York Forward awards that require or favor certification.

West explained the basic steps: submit a letter of intent to begin, upload zoning information into a state-provided template (or, for communities without zoning, submit permit data for the last five years), and pass a state-prescribed resolution of intent. He noted the process can take up to 90 days for certification and requires annual permit-data reporting; his office can provide technical help, including for towns that lack zoning staff.

Officials asked how the certification ties to programs such as CDBG; West said CDBG is not strictly tied to certification but that certified status strengthens an applicant's case in state-administered competitive processes. West also noted technical-assistance awards tied to certification: he said the town of Ithaca recently won $243,000 through the Pro‑Housing Communities Technical Assistance Program.

West encouraged municipalities to consider certification if they plan to pursue state funding and offered to assist with the administrative steps required to complete an application.