Town Amps Up Efforts To Create Affordable Housing Options

East Hampton NY

10 January, 2022

9:07 PM

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EAST HAMPTON, NY — The dearth of affordable housing on the East End has long sparked a rallying cry for change — as scores of young people and families leave their hometowns, saying that they simply cannot afford to own or rent a home in the area. To that end, East Hampton Town officials have announced a new initiative, "All Hands on Housing," a coordinated effort to create affordable housing options townwide. "The dramatic rise in housing costs and declining inventory of year-round rental properties is threatening to unravel the fabric of our community," East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc said in his 2022 state of the town address. "I see the housing problem as one of the most serious and immediate threats to the well-being and sustainability of our community." Of the new effort, the "most significant to date," Van Scoyoc said each town board member would focus on a specific aspect of the program. East Hampton continues to lead Long Island in the number of affordable housing units per capita at over 600, Van Scoyoc said — but the town also leads Long Island with a high cost of living, and the highest poverty rate in Suffolk County. Breaking down the plans, East Hampton Councilman David Lys, Van Scoyoc said, will take the lead on the creation of a planned affordable housing project on 12 acres that the town has purchased at 395 Pantigo Road in East Hampton, where single family homes are envisioned. Meanwhile, Councilwoman Kathee Burke-Gonzalez will work on affordable rental housing, including development of a project on Route 114 in Wainscott, where the town has purchased 8.5 acres and is in the process of establishing an affordable housing overlay zoning district. As liaison to the East Hampton Housing Authority, Burke-Gonzalez will coordinate with thegroup on their affordable housing project on Three Mile Harbor Road in EastHampton. Next, newly elected Councilwoman Cate Rogers will take the lead on long-range planning for future affordable housing, working to identify suitable sites for new projects, Van Scoyoc said. Councilwoman Sylvia Overby will work on long-term housing goals and strategies, includingassessing possible town code changes to support new affordable housing efforts and revisions tothe town's Community Housing Opportunity Fund plan. She will also oversee the town Office ofHousing and Community Development, he said. And, now that New York State has adopted legislation that would allow the town to establish a 0.5-percent real estate transfer tax to fund affordable housing, pursuant to the approval of localvoters, Van Scoyoc will oversee development of the local legislation and housing plan to be implemented after passage of the referendum. "Housing is crucial to ensuring that we have people to police our streets, educate our youth,respond to emergencies, and provide services and continuity to our community," he said.