An apartment at Zero Place designated affordable and accessible for a disabled resident under a local ordinance has reportedly been vacant in recent months. Though it’s possible that the owners have been hemmed in due to the decision to convert those units to condominiums, the situation is being seen as a red flag by some housing activists.
The fate of this particular unit has led to questions about how the entire inventory will be tracked and managed as it becomes larger. There are now seven rental units that qualify under the affordable housing law, and none that can be sold individually. The law provides for setting both rent and sale prices. When the number of affordable units increases to dozens in the next few years, local housing advocates are wondering whether some units might fall through the cracks.
Tom Denton of the Ulster Activists explained that a project now being built on North Chestnut Street will have 35 affordable units. “It’s not too early to ask about how they will be used in accordance with the law,” Denton said. “The tracking of affordable units remains inconsistent. We don’t want to be lax in enforcement.”
There should also be a clear process of notification when vacancies occur.
Jacki Brownstein, another member of Ulster Activists, told the village board at its July 9 meeting that the former Zero Place resident whose apartment was under discussion “clearly won’t be able to return,” and suggested that the list of affordable units should be updated to include information about accessibility.
Adele Ruger of the village’s affordable housing board, shared some of the concerns raised by other residents. When the owners were asked about the status of the vacant Zero Place apartment, it was more than a month before they were advised that it was being left vacant for the time being.
“It appears to be a control tactic,” Ruger said. “We can’t wait.” There are dozens of people on the list of people eligible to rent one of the affordable units. Ruger noted that the local law doesn’t include a way to prioritize ADA-compliant units, meaning that it might have to be assigned to someone who doesn’t have those needs.
“I think they may not be able to rent it,” said mayor Tim Rogers.
The morning after the meeting, David Shepler, one of the principals of the company controlling Zero Place, sent a memo to trustees. Of the five affordable units in the building, Shepler said, “One of those units recently became vacant following a tenant’s departure. We are keeping that unit temporarily vacant through the final months of the complex conversion process with the state attorney general’s office. Once we complete the process, we will make the decision as to whether we sell the unit to a qualified purchaser under the affordable-housing law or promptly make the unit available again for rent to a qualified tenant. In either case, the unit will remain subject to the affordable housing law.”
Shepler wanted to confirm that this decision wasn’t in violation of the law.
The chair of the affordable housing board, Terry Golden, spoke about how challenging it was to explain to someone on the waiting list that there was a vacant unit which wasn’t being filled. Golden said that there were over a hundred people on the waiting list, with an additional ten to fifteen added every time the board met.
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