As part of her “New York Housing Compact," Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed building 800,000 units of housing stock through a mix of government subsidies, tax incentives and zoning reform.

Changing zoning regulations may be the toughest hurdle facing upstate and suburban localities because many use zoning laws restrictively. The governor has called this issue out as the primary reason New York faces a housing crisis. 

In her State of the State address, Gov. Hochul proposed that all localities in the state grow their housing stock by predetermined percentages. While each community will have discretion regarding how they meet these targets, some may have to change their local zoning laws. The question is, can the state require a locality to do that? 

Think of wealthy suburban communities like Manlius, Scarsdale or Slingerlands; while they may welcome new housing, the question is, will they have a choice?

Land-use expert and attorney Patricia Salkin, the senior vice president and provost of Touro University, and the author of “May It Please the Campus: Lawyers Leading Higher Education” spoke with Capital Tonight about the issue.