The Town of Woodstock has retained a professional planner to assist in making zoning changes to address the affordable housing crisis facing residents and workers in the community.
Nan Stolzenburg, principal consulting planner with Community Planning & Environmental Associates of Berne, NY will work with the town at a cost of $10,450-$11,990. The town obtained an $8000 grant for this purpose, bringing the cost down to $2450-$3990. Supervisor Bill McKenna said there will likely be some associated legal fees in addition to Stolzenburg’s fees.
The Town Board has proposed a nine-month moratorium on development that hinders the expansion of long-term housing stock. The pause will give town officials time to rework zoning and come up with incentives to encourage developers to build the type of housing attainable for longtime residents and the working class.
“Originally, the Housing Committee wanted her to help, but now that we’re going into the moratorium, I assume this is all merging together and she will be a part of that,” said Councilman Richard Heppner during a June 14 special meeting where Stolzenburg was retained.
Stolzenburg will make recommendations based on information given to her and help formalize them into zoning language, Supervisor Bill McKenna said.
The supervisor has formed a “supercommittee” made up of members of various town committees to work on changes to the zoning specific to housing.
They are Deborah DeWan and Kirk Ritchey of the Housing Committee, councilman Richard Heppner and councilwoman Laura Ricci, Zoning Revision Committee member Jeff Collins, ZBA member Michael Castiglione and Short-Term Rental Committee member Ed Sanders.
DeWan will chair the supercommittee.
And does this have a name?
“Let’s call it Blind Faith,” Councilman Lorin Rose quipped.
“That was the name of the first supergroup.”
McKenna said all the other committees are still in effect and will contribute to the effort.
“Just so we’re on the same page, the other committees are not being disbanded. They’re not being discounted. They’re not moving away,” McKenna said.
“Those committees are going to help the Blind Faith Committee.”
Heppner proposed giving DeWan a $1000 stipend because of the immense amount of work, but McKenna said that would be setting a precedent.
“We don’t pay any other volunteers. We did not pay Kirk Ritchie for 18 months of comp plan,” McKenna said.
“I understand about Kirk Ritchey and all the other chairs. I’m just saying we got a legal requirement coming before us. And we better get it done, or else it’s going to cost us a lot more money than 1000 bucks.”
Councilman Reggie Earls said he was torn about the stipend.
“I know Deborah is going to do whatever is written up and then some. But I do worry about the other volunteers. She does know it’s a volunteer role, coming into it,” he said.
“I just think about the precedent it sets, because then other folks will come and say, you know, wait a minute. I’m spending time on all these things that are important also.”
The Town Board may consider the stipend at its July 22 meeting.
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