Mayor Steven Noble has appointed the new Director of Housing Initiatives for the City of Kingston, Bartek Starodaj, who will start on January 10, 2022.
As the Director of Housing Initiatives, Starodaj will work on the city-wide rezoning project, implementing the Tiny Home Project alongside Family of Woodstock and will continue work on a variety of current housing programs.
Starodaj is an urban policy professional with experience in urban development, housing initiatives and communications. He holds a B.A. in Environmental & Urban Studies and an M.S. in Environmental Policy from Bard College. Starodaj is a founding board member of the Kingston City Land Bank and has served as the board secretary for three years. Prior to joining the City of Kingston, he was the lead account manager for two local marketing agencies. He also served on the German Marshall Fund’s Urban and Regional Policy team fostering transatlantic development initiatives for major U.S. and European cities. Starodaj lives in Kingston with his wife and two young children.
“I am excited to welcome Bartek to the team, and look forward to working together to tackle some of our community’s biggest housing challenges,” said Mayor Noble. “With Bartek’s guidance, we will continue our efforts to make sure every person in our community has access to clean, safe housing and that City of Kingston policies and actions align with those values.”
“While on the Kingston City Land Bank Board, I have worked to ensure that the organization’s activities live up to its mission to expand housing accessibility for Kingston’s citizens and that the Land Bank’s programs reach households that are currently underrepresented among the city’s homeowners,” said Starodaj. “As the new Housing Director, I look forward to leading a collaborative coalition of residents, activists and government officials to synergize short- and long-term housing efforts across our great city. A number of strategic initiatives, most notably the ongoing update of Kingston’s zoning code, are now underway and have the potential to significantly improve the range of housing options for all residents.”