Southold divided on implementing affordable housing plan approved by voters

Southold officials agree that the town should use money from its new community housing fund to provide loans for first-time homebuyers and encourage construction of accessory apartments to address the town's growing affordable housing crisis. But board members are at odds over how to implement the program.

The town board on Oct. 10 voted 6-0 to approve the housing plan, which guides how money generated through a 0.5% tax on most real estate transactions will be spent.

In a separate vote, the board narrowly approved creating a new position to oversee the program. That measure passed in a 4-2 vote and directs the supervisor to submit a document that outlines responsibilities to the county Department of Civil Service in order to match the position with a title. 

Supervisor Scott Russell voted against the new position.

"To have someone come in and administer a program that doesn't exist yet seems somewhat premature," he said Tuesday. 

He and council member Louisa Evans agree the board should identify their priorities before hiring someone.

“We should really suss out what we think are the important parts of the plan, so that when we have a housing director, that’s what their duties are,” Evans said Oct. 10.

The plan calls for a new housing department, but council member Jill Doherty said hiring one person can serve as a springboard for implementing the plan. “We need that expertise to guide us,” she said in an interview Friday.

The new employee would review applications for community housing programs, monitor ongoing projects, maintain a housing registry and list of properties for sale or lease at all times and conduct compliance reviews, among other responsibilities, according to the filing.

The document does not include a salary but sets qualifications as a bachelor’s degree or higher and prior experience in government or private sector housing.

Russell said it’s a “flight of fancy” that one person can meet the criteria in the job description. 

Other board members said there’s no time to delay implementing the program amid a housing crisis. The town’s affordable housing registry, a catalog of residents who want to be informed of housing availability, has grown to more than 600 names, town planners said at a Sept. 26 hearing.

Affordable housing opportunities have been few and far between in recent years. 

The largest project brought 50 workforce units to Greenport. Several projects remain pending in Southold, including a 14-unit complex and apartments above a new commercial building.

Other projects have faced pushback, including a 24-unit complex in Cutchogue that was rejected by the town board last year.

The housing plan was developed after voters in four East End towns approved the Peconic Bay Region Community Housing Act in 2022 to help fund housing solutions. Riverhead opted out of the referendum.

The housing fund will supplement the existing Community Preservation Fund, which generates revenue through a 2% tax on real estate transfers. Southold's revenues from the fund totaled $6.6 million from April 1 to September 30. County officials could not provide a breakdown of what the housing fund generated but have estimated the yield could be $1.5 million annually in Southold.