“Gov. Hochul has tucked into her executive budget proposal a new mandate that establishes a statewide zoning plan allowing accessory dwelling units on single-family zoning lots. This mandate is short sighted and yet another example of government overreach.

“This one-size-fits-all proposal would eliminate home-rule authority by superseding established local zoning laws intended to reflect the individual character and needs of local communities across the state. While I recognize and agree with what I presume to be the governor’s attempt to address shrinking affordable housing options in our state, this is simply wrong and will create more problems than it aims to solve.

“A more appropriate response to this issue is to look at where the state is culpable of contributing to the current cost of housing.Ever-mounting state mandates handed down onto local governments coupled with inadequate access to and availability of resources for local municipalities to address aging, deteriorating and substandard infrastructure combine to create what is essentially state-sponsored inflation of local tax rates. In fact, a state zoning law uniformly applied to each municipality would surely exacerbate the existing strain of local resources, services and infrastructure that will inevitably lead to even more costs for current and would-be homeowners.

“I stand by my colleagues in the Assembly and local government in bipartisan opposition to this takeover of local home rule.”