With the need for new and affordable housing only growing by the day, municipalities like Croton-on-Hudson are turning to different ways to keep up with the demand.

Late last month, the village board selected WBP Development as the proposed purchaser and developer to turn an underutilized 1.23-acre parcel into housing. The village has owned the lot known as Parking Lot A at the intersection of Croton Point Avenue and Veterans Plaza since the 1960s.

WBP would buy the land from the village for $2.3 million.

“We’re excited now to be back and turn this underutilized parking lot into a vibrant transit-oriented multifamily development that will diversify the housing options in the village," WBP Development LLC chief operatingofficer James Wendling said in an April press release.

Croton Mayor Brian Pugh said a combination of fewer people commuting and the growing need for affordable housing made the proposal a no-brainer for the village.

"Transit-oriented development is one of the most climate and environmentally friendly things that any community can do, and I hope that communities around the county will look to make the best use of under-used properties to meet housing needs," he said.

According to village officials and online documents, WBP would construct a multifamily, transit-oriented development at the site with at least 20% designated as affordable housing. The plan calls for the potential addition of more affordable units including affordable condos to pave the way for future ownership not just rentals.

Pro-housing advocates called the proposal a major win to keep people in the area. The project has received some criticism over concerns about traffic, flooding and the proximity to the Metro-North Railroad's maintenance and operations hub.

Pugh said the positives of the project far outweigh any negatives.

The village is in the process of finalizing a contract with WBP, which still needs the village board's final approval.