HomeMy WebLinkAboutComments on Draft Zoning Code Southold's Housing Problem Isn't a Shortage— It's a Matter of Local
Choices
By Joan Bischoff van lee skerck
It's hard not to sympathize with young people growing up in Southold who find themselves
priced out of the very place they've always called home. They want to live where their families
are, where their roots run deep, where their community means something but for many,
buying a home here feels increasingly out of reach.
They see prices rise, inventory shrink, and the places they call home transform into enclaves only
the wealthy can afford. Their frustration is valid, and their desire to stay rooted in familiar
communities is deeply human.
Their frustration is valid. But too often, the only"solution" anyone offers is to build more
housing and fast. Pave over open space,jam more density into quiet streets, and
fundamentally change what makes Southold... Southold. But this rush to build is not the only
path forward and certainly not the smartest.
There are many better, more local solutions that haven't even been given a chance. Traditional
approaches have not worked because they confuse symptoms with causes. We need to start
leaving our old and conventional ways where they belong: in the it- didn't-work trash bin. If we
really want to address the problem, that is.
Let's Start with the Obvious:
Costs Are High Because of Taxes and Excessive Zoning Regulation, Not Just Prices
Southold's housing market is expensive,yes but not just because of home prices. The tax
burden on homebuyers is crushing. Property taxes, transfer taxes, mortgage recording taxes, and
other fees add tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of buying a home and they hit first-time
buyers the hardest.
If we want to make housing more accessible to young families and local workers, why not start
by cutting the government's cut? Reduce or eliminate the Southold transfer tax for first-time
buyers. Set real, reachable targets for the first time home buyer exemption for the CPF. Offer tax
credits for intergenerational transfers or accessory dwelling units. The Town has tools at its
disposal it simply hasn't used them.
The Coming Shift: Fewer People, More Homes
Meanwhile, we're ignoring the larger demographic picture. The United States is approaching a
plateau in population growth. Birth rates have dropped below replacement levels, and
immigration—while still significant—is no longer guaranteed. The Census Bureau projects that
growth will stall in the coming decades and potentially reverse after mid-century. Southold
School enrollment growth is stalling, and some enrollment is already going down.
That means we are building for a future that might not exist. Some American citiesDetroit, St.
Louis, Cleveland—already have more homes than they need. Property values drop. Infrastructure
decays. Yet we continue to frame this as a national "shortage."
The truth is, this is not a national crisis. It is a deeply local problem that must be addressed
locally.
The Real Problem: Mismatched Preferences
Demand is not evenly distributed. Everyone wants to live in walkable towns, near good schools,
with access to jobs, transit, and culture. But these places—because of local zoning and political
resistance—have artificially constrained supply. That's why prices in desirable areas spike.
Meanwhile, housing sits vacant in places that lack opportunity. This isn't a supply crisis—it's a
preference bottleneck.
And attempts to "solve"this imbalance with top-down mandates from Washington or Albany are
not working. They flatten local nuance, impose one-size-fits-all answers, and often worsen the
very problems they claim to address.
It's a Local Problem—and It Requires Local Solutions
We're often told we're facing a"housing crisis" as if it's some uniform, national emergency
that demands a statewide or federal response. But that's not Southold's situation.
This is a local issue. And it can only be solved locally with local knowledge, local priorities,
and policies tailored to Southold's unique geography, economy, and community identity.
What we don't need is a one-size-fits-all solution designed in Albany or Washington and forced
onto the East End with no understanding of our infrastructure limits, groundwater vulnerability,
or rural character. Southold is not Queens. It is not Riverhead. Our community deserves and
requires a different approach.
The Workers We Depend On Can't Live Here
Let's be blunt: many of the people who power our local economy teachers, landscapers,
mechanics, healthcare workers, tradespeople, municipal staff can no longer find housing in
Southold. Businesses are losing employees or failing to hire altogether because there's nowhere
affordable to live nearby. Commutes stretch longer. Loyalty drops. And the very fabric of our
community begins to fray.
When the people who serve your coffee, fix your truck, staff your shops, and take care of your
kids can't live within 20 miles of their job, that's not just a housing issue it's a warning sign
that the community is becoming unsustainable.
The Failed Fix: Cracking Down on Short-Term Rentals Hasn't Solved Anything
Southold has already tried one "solution"that hasn't worked: cracking down on short-term
rentals. The assumption was that if we ban or limit vacation rentals, the housing market will
magically become more affordable for local families and workers.
It hasn't. Vacation rentals didn't cause the problem, and restricting them hasn't fixed it.
Meanwhile, there is a far more promising solution hiding in plain sight: legalizing the hundreds
of accessory apartments, garage conversions, and in-law suites that already exist across Southold
many of them clean, safe, and long-term rented. These apartments provide quiet, flexible
housing without damaging open space, overwhelming roads, or changing the face of
neighborhoods.
Because of outdated zoning rules and bureaucratic red tape, these units remain underground
invisible to the Town and legally vulnerable. Why not bring them into the light? A sensible,
streamlined legalization and inspection program would add real, safe, already-built housing stock
without laying a single new foundation.
Young People Need to Learn How to Buy a Home—And That It's Still Possible
There's another piece of this puzzle that rarely gets mentioned: too few young people are being
educated about how to become homeowners.
In my law practice, I've had the privilege of helping many first-time buyers successfully
purchase homes including in Southold. It's not easy. But there is a path. With the right
planning, the right guidance, and the right tools, homeownership is absolutely achievable. We
just don't talk about that anymore.
We should be teaching responsible financial behavior as early as high school savings, credit,
budgeting, and how a mortgage works. We should be encouraging young people to plan ahead,
improve their credit, and understand their options including down payment assistance,
creative financing strategies, and other programs that already exist but are underutilized.
Renting has a place, but it builds no equity, no generational wealth, and no real stake in a
community. The American Dream is still about owning a home and yet most housing policy
today seems focused entirely on rentals. That's a mistake.
We need to put ownership back on the table not just as a wish, but as a realistic goal for local
residents.
At a time when monthly rents are climbing to the point where they rival or surpass
mortgage payments, it makes less and less sense to treat ownership as out of reach.
Zoning Rules Have Driven Up Costs and Made Southold Inaccessible
More than anything else, it is Southold's own zoning code that has driven up the cost of living.
Decades of restrictions from large minimum lot sizes to bans on multifamily and seasonal
workforce housing have made new housing not only difficult to build, but prohibitively
expensive.
Ironically, attempts to "fix" the zoning often just create more regulation. Even when reforms are
proposed, they come layered with new requirements,public hearing gauntlets, fees, and delays.
The process becomes longer, costlier, and more adversarial and nothing gets built that serves
local people.
If we want more housing for Southolders, we need simpler, smarter, and more targeted zoning
relief not just for big developers, but for families trying to make room for a parent, a grown
child, or a local worker.
Overbuilding has hidden costs.
Overbuilding Isn't Just Wrong for Southold It's Dangerous:
Let's be honest: Southold doesn't have the roads, water infrastructure, or septic capacity to
absorb aggressive new development. And that's before we even talk about preserving open
space, farmland, and fragile wetlands the very things that make this place worth living in.
The idea that we can solve a housing issue by stuffing more people and cars into overburdened
areas and still preserve the environment, aquifers, and quality of life is fantasy.
We must protect what's left of our natural buffers and open space. Otherwise, the very things
that make Southold desirable will be destroyed in the name of"affordability."
The "Affordable Housing"Label Has Become a Political Shield
And let's not ignore the elephant in the room: once a project is labeled"affordable housing," the
conversation is supposed to stop. We're expected to clap politely and support it, no matter how
vague, disruptive, or misguided it may be.
But what does "affordable housing" even mean here in Southold? What income level is it pegged
to? How is it funded? Who qualifies? Will the beneficiaries actually be local residents or
simply those who qualify under regional formulas written for Suffolk County as a whole?
If I actually understood what"affordable housing"meant clearly, consistently, and
transparently I might support more of it. But right now, the term is so vague it can be used to
justify just about anything, including projects that have no measurable benefit to Southolders and
no demonstrated chance of working.
Southold Deserves a Smarter Path
Let's focus on what can work right here, right now:
Legalize existing accessory apartments with proper safety and inspection standards.
Cut or eliminate Southold's real estate taxes for first-time local buyers. Including reachable
limits in the CPF exemptions for first time home buyers.
• Target zoning reform to allow modest growth without overwhelming infrastructure or
destroying farmland.
• Preserve open space and don't ruin that successful program in name of"affordable
housing" whatever that is.
• Define "affordable housing" clearly, and tie any public support to local residency or
employment.
• Help educate and guide young people toward ownership, not just endless renting.
• Conclusion: Build Smart and Teach Smart
We don't need to overbuild. We need to build smarter. And we don't need outsiders telling
Southold how to "solve" a problem they don't even understand. We need to stand up for local
control, local decision-making, and the character of our own community.
For young people trying to stay here, for workers who keep our town running, and for the future
of Southold as a livable, natural, rooted place we owe better than slogans and shortcuts.
Let's protect what we have, educate the next generation, and finally let Southold lead itself
with care, clarity, and common sense.
Joan H. Bischoff van Heemskerck
7160 Hortons Lane
Southold,NY 11971