At the Town Board meeting on September 2nd, Supervisor Lachterman started the meeting by canceling a vote to exclude the Navajo Fields project from the Osceola overlay district. A mere two weeks later, however, he attempted to stoke fear about Democrats and their supposed unbridled drive towards affordable housing. He made vague, ominous references to laws being decided “in Albany”—itself a veiled threat—that would create dire circumstances here in Yorktown.
If the Supervisor was truly concerned about development in Yorktown, he had the power to act. Instead, he chose to leave the door open. The Navajo Fields project remains eligible for special zoning treatment because the Board—led by Lachterman—chose not to vote. To be clear, the developer has the right to return at any time, but by not voting, the board ensured that they don’t lose time by beginning the process all over again.
The Laws He’s Warning You About Don’t Exist
Lachterman appears to be fear-mongering about “home rule”—the idea that Albany will take away local control over zoning.
Here’s the truth: Those laws never passed. Governor Hochul proposed a housing mandate that could have overridden local zoning back in 2023. It faced massive opposition and Hochul abandoned the entire approach by November 2023.
Lachterman is either deliberately misleading you or hasn’t read the news since 2023.
The Fine Print He Hopes You Won’t Read
The other law he might be referencing is the Faith-Based Affordable Housing Act, which is still just a proposal in committee. Even if it eventually passes, it would only apply to religious organizations developing property they already own—and there don’t appear to be any in Yorktown that qualify.
Here’s the irony: The bill he’s warning about is very similar to the overlay zoning he’s repeatedly voted to support. One of the main differences is that the Faith-Based Housing Act includes an affordable housing benefit that Yorktown’s overlay zoning laws lack.
Look at what is already happening. Underhill Farms has density well in excess of the surrounding area, with buildings standing at 4.5 stories tall. The townhomes on Route 202 are going for nearly a million dollars. The first project was approved as part of an overlay district, the other as part of transitional zoning. Both allow for increased density. Neither includes any condition for affordability standards.
What This Really Tells Us
This isn’t about protecting Yorktown from overdevelopment. If it were, Lachterman would have voted to exclude Navajo Fields from special zoning and pushed for housing diversity that benefits working families and seniors looking to downsize—not just luxury developments that maximize developer profits.
Instead, he’s created a smoke screen—scaring residents about laws that don’t exist while quietly enabling the very development he claims to oppose.
What Yorktown Deserves
Yorktown deserves leaders who protect our community from real threats, not gin up imaginary ones. We deserve honest conversations about development that benefits our community and developers, not political theater designed to distract from failed leadership.
Most importantly, we deserve leaders who will actually vote to protect our neighborhoods—not politicians who warn about affordable housing that might help our neighbors while voting for developer giveaways that don’t.
The facts are clear. It’s time for leadership that matches words with actions.