The current version of the Village of New Paltz’s affordable housing law, requiring a certain percentage of apartments in larger complexes to have lower rents, has been on the books since 2015. It’s taken a long time to get to the point of having a double-digit number of units to be overseen by members of the affordable housing board. Now that the work is ramping up, those board members are offering changes to better meet community needs. Board chair Terry Dolan offered those up to introduce a public hearing that was opened on December 20.
One of the suggestions would be to create income tiers. In the current version, one can only be added to the waiting list for affordable units if one has an income of 60% or less of the median income in the county, adjusted for family size. Board members believe breaking out eligibility to also include those whose income are at 80% and 40% of the median might be helpful. However, Dolan noted that the formula used to determine the maximum rent for these affordable units would still be out of reach for someone in the 40% bracket.
Beyond income, the current law also has a clause allowing for past or present residents of New Paltz, as well as service in certain volunteer and paid positions, to be given priority when units open up.
On the supply side, there’s a proposal to bump up the percentage of affordable units to 15 for some future projects. That entire section might be due a revisit, however: the way developers are encouraged to build even though some of the apartments might have to be rented at a lower rate is by providing a “density bonus,” permission to pile on extra units to offset the fiscal impact. That’s relevant especially since most builders rely on borrowing other people’s money to do this work at all. However, zoning changes passed in the last year alter how density is considered, and Mayor Tim Rogers signaled that taking a closer look at how those changes fit in with this law will be undertaken, perhaps in the coming year.
Dolan additionally noted that there are ways that developers are allowed to cut corners on affordable units. While they can’t look different from the outside, and cannot be clumped together in a single part of a project, the law does include this sentence: “The developer may, however, propose different appliances and interior hardware where such substitutions would not adversely impact the habitability of the unit.” Current trustees agreed that this appeared to undermine the spirit of the law, which is to prevent shoddier quality for affordable units.
Keith Libolt, a local developer currently building 50 affordable senior citizen apartments in the village, noted that it can be difficult to break even in New Paltz with affordable rents, pointing out that while the difference between market and affordable rent is $200-300 in some areas, in New Paltz it’s about $1,200.
Stronger stand
Village of new Paltz trustees were quick to pass a resolution condemning the brutal surprise attack by Hamas soldiers on Israeli civilians, after those events unfolded on October 7. With a new resolution passed on December 29, they are now calling for an end to the violence, in part through changing regimes.
Stana Weisburd read the new resolution before it was passed unanimously. In addition to demanding the President Joe Biden push for a “lasting ceasefire,” they want the U.S. president to send aid to victims of the war and demand a release of the hostages taken during the initial attack.
Trustees also want to see a new governing structure in Gaza, replacing Hamas and its members entirely, as well as the resignation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is seen by observers inside of Israel and around the world as failing to prevent the attack at best, and contributing to the conditions that led to it even being contemplated at worst. The resolution also specifically calls for the end of the “Israeli occupation” of the Gaza strip.
The resolution will be sent to a variety of local and federal elected officials. Asked if it will also be sent to anyone in the Israeli government, Mayor Tim Rogers responded, “That is a solid idea.”
Sewer work moving along nicely
Consultant Mark Lauer wants Village of new Paltz residents to know that sewer remediation work is going swimmingly. That was the gist of the message provided during public hearings held at the December 20 board meeting. The hearings are necessary to comply with requirements for the grant funding that has paid for the bulk of the sewer line replacements that have been made since officials at the DEC determined in 2003 that the long-neglected village poop chutes had become a health hazard.
These are all community block development grants, which draw upon state and federal funds and are doled out by state officials. As the grant application process was disrupted during the height of the pandemic, there are four of these projects in process at this time, Lauer explained. Construction is complete on the oldest of these, and the second of the four will be wrapped up in January. Two more are still in the planning stages, and Lauer reminded trustees that the application process will be opened again come July.
Aging sewer mains throughout the village have developed cracks and holes that allow in groundwater, which during periods of heavy rainfall can overwhelm the wastewater treatment plant. At its worst, this resulted in raw sewage bubbling up through maintenance hole covers. Village officials labor under a consent decree, and must continue to make progress on resolving this issue or face stiff fines.
No one present chose to comment at these hearings.
Vacancy study was full of holes
New Paltz Mayor Tim Rogers “didn’t want to get in the weeds” about the shortcomings of a vacancy study that was conducted to determine if the village could be placed in a state of housing emergency, but after sharp and public criticism from a housing advocate, the mayor decided it was time.
Brahvan Ranga, political director of For the Many, expressed that the trustees should be ashamed of their decision not to declare an emergency. The reasons given at the time were focused on the small impact rent control — or what pedants will insist must only be called “rent stabilization” — would have in the village. Only a handful of buildings would qualify, because the law was written for New York City and then later expanded without any serious revision.
Ranga posting a video to social media leveling criticism on village officials prompted Rogers to be more specific about the problems with the study itself. In short, it would be easy to challenge, a state officials who oversee the process warned that this could result in properties being declared exempt. Per the few guidelines provided, the largest complex in the village — New Paltz Gardens — was counted as having no vacancies because the results weren’t received timely. However, managers there are claiming that the information was submitted timely, and if it’s counted, then the vacancy rate is above the cutoff of five percent needed for a housing emergency. There are also properties that may have been converted to rental apartments more recently than 1974, and with the statewide version of this law being poorly thought out, it’s not entirely clear if they should have been included at all. Rogers noted that any property owner might be able to secure an exemption for demonstrating “substantial rehabilitations” since 1974. One of the flaws that came out during the conversation around the table is that there’s not even a standardized way to conduct these studies.
Trustees lamented the fact that activists with whom they feel aligned on issues of housing equity are opting to attack their work, instead of finding ways to advance those common goals. Michele Zipp lifted up the approach of Keith Libolt, a developer who is presently trying to more than double the number of affordable units in the village with the senior housing complex dubbed “Manheim Mews.”
In the coming year, trustees desire to continue to seek out methods that are within their purview for addressing these issues. It seems likely that housing advocates will be watching closely to see how that goes.
Cannabis extension a-ok, but continuance into January still hazy
With the state bureaucracy for approving cannabis dealer licenses still hopelessly bogged down, Village of new Paltz trustees have signaled that they are fine with continuing to allow the “growers’ showcase” — a pot farmers market in everything but name — to be continued into the new year. The village market was the first in the nation, and thus far has accounted for 20% of the cannabis legally sold in the state.
Farmers who assumed that government always runs smoothly and planted for the demand, not the red tape, are sitting on 250,000 pounds of bud that can’t get to market due to a lack of licensed distributors, or legal dealers. Trustees discussed having heard that some state officials may resist extending this stopgap solution, preferring to get the program actually in the law back on track.
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