Westchester County passes bill instituting deadlines for co-op boards decisions

Co-op boards in Westchester County will have to make up their minds about potential buyers in a timely manner moving forward. Lawmakers this week voted to pass a bill that requires boards to acknowledge applications within 15 days — and let potential buyers know if their applications are missing anything — and either accept or reject completed applications within 60 days, LoHud reported. “At the heart of it was to speak to discrimination and to fight back against discrimination in housing in this county,” Legislator Chris Johnson, a Yonkers Democrat and sponsor of the bill, told the outlet. The bill did not include a provision that would have required boards to provide a written explanation for the rejection of an application, as co-op owners protested against it, according to LoHud. Boards will, however, have to send any applications they reject to Westchester County’s Human Rights Commission. [LoHud]