HomeMy WebLinkAboutCorrespondence Southold Town Housing Advisory Commission
September 26, 2023
My name is Anne Smith and I am representing the Housing Advisory Commission of Southold
Town (HAC). I am speaking on behalf of the Commission and our co-chairs Pat Lutzky and Eric
Dantes who are unable to attend today's hearing. We wish to thank member Mark Levine who
served on the Community Housing Fund Advisory Board convened to draft the plan. Our
comments today are specifically about the Community Housing Plan dated September 12, 2023
as the only topic for discussion during this public hearing.
I am starting with a quote from the plan as it sums up the problem we are facing as a
community.
"The Town of Southold and the Village of Greenport have historically been communities
where neighbors know neighbors and families occupy generational homes. These
generational ties to the land and community are strong, yet because of changing
community dynamics, stable year-round moderately priced housing is increasingly
challenging to find. People struggling to find local housing priced within their means
include a wide-ranging array of community members. The lack of availability of suitable
housing options will have short and long-term impacts on the Town of Southold, forever
shaping its future..."
The Southold Town Housing Plan is a voter-supported effort based on the Peconic Bay Region
Community Housing Act and the subsequent establishment of the Community Housing Fund.
This plan will be a guiding document to help solve the housing crisis including the impact of the
surge in short term and seasonal rentals on apartment availability. It is not the only solution to
a complex issue but will serve to guide a multi-tiered effort for positive change and to meet the
goals of the Southold Town Comprehensive Plan.
The Housing Advisory Commission supports the adoption of the plan dated 9.12.23 and looks
forward to helping the Town Board educate the community and engage in the larger issue of
solving this problem.
On behalf of the Housing Advisory Commission, we would like to thank the Town Board for
giving the voters the opportunity to weigh in on the need for the fund and for creating a diverse
and expert team on the Community Housing Fund Advisory Board who drafted the plan with
you. They were diligent, focused and tireless in being prepared for meetings, challenging each
other for clarity, as they focused on the letter and intent of the legislation. The Housing
Advisory Commission appreciates the leadership of liaison, Town Councilwoman, Jill Doherty
and Assistant Planning Director Mark Terry and Planner Mara Cerezo . Mark and Mara were and
continue to be an important partner for the Housing Advisory Commission.
The Housing Advisory Commission will be here to partner with Southold Town Board to help
implement the plan and other work related to the housing crisis. We acknowledge that the plan
may be reviewed and revised as it is implemented and will help provide feedback during the
process.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of Southold Town Housing Advisory Commission for
Purposes of The Public Hearing on the Community Housing Plan September 26, 2023:
Patricia Lutzky, Co-chair
Eric Dantes, Co-chair
Mark Levine
Nancy Messer
Cheryle Amara
Marilyn Sierra
Anne Smith
North ForkHousing Affiance, Inc.
(FORMERLY THE GREENPORT HOUSING ALLIANCE)
1 16 SOUTlA STREET ADEQUATE HOUSING FOR At-L_
GREENPoRT, NEW YORK 1 1944 n
(631)477-1070 FAX (631)4,77-1'769 SECTION 8 DEPARTMEN-r (631) 477-8888 NFHA0,)OP'TONLINE.NET
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BARRY LATNEY, PRESIDEN"r 'TANYA PAI-MORE, EXECUTIVE OREC'IOR
September 25, 2023
Supervisor Scott A. Russell
Councilperson Louisa Evans
Councilperson Jill Doherty
Councilperson Sarah E. Nappa
Councilperson Greg Doroski
Councilperson Brian O. Mealy
Town Hall
53095 Main Road
PO Box 1179
Southold, NY 11.971
Re: Public Hearing 9/26/23: Proposed Community Housing Plan
To the Members of the Southold Town Board:
This letter is submitted on behalf of the Board of Directors of the North Fork Housing
Alliance, Inc., (the "NFHA".) The NFHA is a not-for-profit corporation that has been providing
various housing services to the residents of Greenport and Southold for the past forty years. The
NFHA currently owns and maintains 46 affordable rental units, has overseen the rehabilitation of
over 300 homes, manages the local Section 8 housing voucher program and provides housing
counseling services to those in need.
As the leading provider of affordable housing services in the Town of Southold, the
Board of the NFHA commends the Town Board,the Greenport Village Board, the Town
Planning Department, and the Town Community Housing Fund Advisory Board for the
substantial work that has gone into the creation of the proposed Community Housing Plan. The
NFHA Board fully supports the aspirations of the Plan.
Given the Town's recent progress in adopting the Community Housing Fund and arriving at the
goals of the I lousing Plan, the NFHA feels that now is the time to consider more concrete action
to address the dire housing shortage in the Town of Southold. While there are several causes of
the local shortage of affordable housing, the Town Board has the power to focus on the primary
role that land use law plays in constraining the supply of affordable housing. Restrictive zoning
rules serve to reduce the supply of land available for new housing, which in turn inflates the cost
of new housing projects making them impossible to achieve.
The proposed Housing Plan relies heavily upon the existing Town Affordable Housing District
zoning option as contained in the Town Code. In short, the existing AHD process is
FUNDED By NEW YORK STATE DIVISION OF HOUSING & COMMUNITY RENEWAL
AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER AND PROVIDER
Nprth Fork.Hbuslifig Affiance, Inc.
(FORMERLY THE GREENPORT HOUSING ALLIANCE)
1 16 SOUTH ST REE-r ADEQUATE HOUSING FOR ALL
GREENPOR"r, NEW YORK It 944 0
(631)4-77-1070 FAX (631)477-1769 SECTION 8 DEPARTMENT (631) 477-8888 NFHA@)OP'TONI._INE,NET
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BArmy LATNEY, PRESir..)ENT' TANYA PALMORE, EXECUTIVE DIREC'TOR
cumbersome, self-defeating to its stated purpose and vulnerable to political pressure from those
opposing a project. While the many weaknesses of the current AHD are not the subject of the
public hearing on the Housing Plan, the Housing Plan's heavy reliance on the existing AHD
renders the proposed Housing Plan inadequate. The overt inclusion of requirements for"Smart
Growth" and the preservation of community character can be and have been utilized to prevent
the construction of affordable housing. How many proposed MID affordable projects have been
rejected in the Town in the past two years?
To be clear, many communities on Long Island have been able to provide affordable housing
opportunities without compromising environmental or historical standards. For example, the
Town of East Hampton has arguably the strictest zoning and environmental standards of any
municipality on Long Island but has worked to find ways to provide a substantial number of both
owner-occupied and rental affordable housing units without compromising environmental
standards. This has been done primarily through common sense affordable housing zoning
provisions that do not explicitly contain the seeds of their own defeat.
Additionally, the emphasis in the proposed Housing Plan placed on homeownership may be
impractical in the current climate. While the NFHA Board has no opposition to homeownership
as a goal-the NFHA has built affordable single-family homes in the past- the inflated land and
constructions costs may make this goal unattainable to moderate income Town residents. The
"affordability gap" described in the Appendix to the Housing Plan makes it clear that it will
require a disproportionate amount of funding to get one moderate income buyer into
homeownership. 'These funds may be put to a more efficient use.
Again, the Board of the NFIJA recognizes the progress made by the Town of Southold in the
past year toward considering the dire housing needs of Southold Town residents. We would urge
the Town
Board to consider supplementing the proposed Housing Plan with recommendations for the
amendment of the Town Code that realistically removes blockages and allows for the creation of
affordable housing for Southold residents.
Thank you for your consideration of our comments.
Very truly yours,
The Board of Directors/ofthn North Fork Housing Alliance, Inc.
By: BarryYatn_eeey,—President
FUNDED BY NEW YORK STATE DIVISION OF HOUSING COMMUNI1,Y RENEWAL
AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER AND PROVIDER
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