Amenia aligns with Hochul’s Pro-Housing Commitment

AMENIA — By unanimous vote, the board adopted a Pro-Housing Commitment to promote opportunities for affordable housing at their regular meeting on Thursday, Feb. 15.

The commitment aligns the town with a 2023 executive order issued by Gov. Kathy Hochul, by which the state will prioritize distribution of discretionary funding to be directed toward towns that promote construction of affordable housing.

Town Supervisor Leo Blackman explained that to be eligible for state funding, the town needs to adopt the pro-housing policy.

The pro-housing program was discussed at a joint budget hearing at the New York State Legislature Wednesday, Feb. 14, when RuthAnne Visnauskas, commissioner of New York State Homes and Community Renewal, spoke of the newly instituted initiative.

Although the budget hearing focused mainly on downstate urban housing challenges, discussion among panelists and legislators turned briefly to the issues of infrastructure costs such as water, sewer and transportation associated with smaller towns seeking to create affordable housing opportunities.

“Local governments don’t want sticks; they want carrots,” one legislator said.

“We are willing to work with all communities to help them get certified,” Viskauskas said of the pro-housing certification program.

At the Town Board meeting on Thursday, Amenia Councilwoman Rosanna Hamm said, “We recognize that we need affordable housing and that we support the idea of affordable housing.”

She added that no particular location for potential projects is implied by participating in the pro-housing program.

“It’s a commitment to affordable housing opportunities,” Councilman Brad Rebillard agreed.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, residents repeated their concerns about an affordable housing project being proposed by Hudson River Housing (HRH) of Poughkeepsie, the owner of property on Spruce Hill. A request for a change in zoning to permit multifamily apartment buildings as part of the planning for the project has alarmed neighboring residents.

Building upon comments offered at earlier Town Board meetings, resident Salvatore LaRosa detailed continued concern about the HRH request for a zone change that would extend the existing Hamlet Residential (HR) zone to include the HRH project. He voiced concern about safety hazards represented by the cliff and steep drop-off to the former ore bed adjacent to the property, where there has been a death.

“We have heard the residents’ concerns,” said Mary Linge, vice president for real estate development, representing HRH at the meeting. “All concerns will be addressed through the Planning Board process,” she added.

“We will listen and address all concerns to the best of our abilities. We want to work together,” Linge said. She added that the site plan being developed for the Planning Board application process is only a starting point that can be revised to accommodate residents’ concerns.