Southold's housing plan includes pitch for new town department
Southold Town Hall, where officials are considering creating a housing department in an effort to counter a shortage of places to live. Credit: Randee Daddona
Southold officials are considering starting a town housing department as part of an effort to counter a shortage of stable, year-round moderately priced places to live.
The proposal is part of an updated community housing plan officials finished last month.
Town officials said such a new department would do public outreach on housing opportunities, administer housing registry lists and select people eligible for affordable housing, among other duties.
Town board members will review the more than 80-page housing plan and look to schedule public hearings on it in the next few months.
If the town board adopts it, it will be added to Southold's 2020 comprehensive plan. The plan says the Village of Greenport also will use it through an intermunicipal agreement.
The housing plan notes that the state legislature previously passed legislation in recognition of the region's housing crisis that gave Suffolk's East End towns authority to start a community housing fund.
Last year, Southold residents passed a referendum that established a real estate property transfer fee of 0.5%, with revenue from that tax going into a community housing fund as of last month.
Before using that revenue, Southold must adopt a new housing plan that identifies priorities for spending.
Other recommendations in the new community housing plan include:
Addressing the impact of short-term rentals , Low-interest loans for the construction of new housing units for purchase and lease , Loans for first-time homebuyers, active military service members, veterans, health care workers and emergency services volunteers .
Town officials said the plan incorporates recommendations from the 2020 comprehensive plan that include addressing blighted properties, using zoning to designate affordable housing districts and using grants to subsidize homeownership for qualified buyers.
Southold Councilwoman Jill Doherty, who has been helping develop the new plan, said that it is “flexible and fluid” to account for housing priorities changing as time passes.
She also said the plan doesn't call for Section 8 housing or for the town to build housing units.
“That is not what this is,” Doherty said. “This is to help people transition existing stock into affordable housing, existing buildings into apartments and maybe to construct new affordable housing complexes, whether it’s to rent or to own.”
Southold officials are considering starting a town housing department as part of an effort to counter a shortage of stable, year-round moderately priced places to live.
The proposal is part of an updated community housing plan officials finished last month.
Town officials said such a new department would do public outreach on housing opportunities, administer housing registry lists and select people eligible for affordable housing, among other duties.
Town board members will review the more than 80-page housing plan and look to schedule public hearings on it in the next few months.
If the town board adopts it, it will be added to Southold's 2020 comprehensive plan. The plan says the Village of Greenport also will use it through an intermunicipal agreement.
The housing plan notes that the state legislature previously passed legislation in recognition of the region's housing crisis that gave Suffolk's East End towns authority to start a community housing fund.
Last year, Southold residents passed a referendum that established a real estate property transfer fee of 0.5%, with revenue from that tax going into a community housing fund as of last month.
Before using that revenue, Southold must adopt a new housing plan that identifies priorities for spending.
Other recommendations in the new community housing plan include:
- Addressing the impact of short-term rentals
- Low-interest loans for the construction of new housing units for purchase and lease
- Loans for first-time homebuyers, active military service members, veterans, health care workers and emergency services volunteers
Town officials said the plan incorporates recommendations from the 2020 comprehensive plan that include addressing blighted properties, using zoning to designate affordable housing districts and using grants to subsidize homeownership for qualified buyers.
Southold Councilwoman Jill Doherty, who has been helping develop the new plan, said that it is “flexible and fluid” to account for housing priorities changing as time passes.
She also said the plan doesn't call for Section 8 housing or for the town to build housing units.
“That is not what this is,” Doherty said. “This is to help people transition existing stock into affordable housing, existing buildings into apartments and maybe to construct new affordable housing complexes, whether it’s to rent or to own.”
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