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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 .................. ------ 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 ............__­_._....­_­._.­..........- .............. 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 ...................... ......................................