Public hearing on affordable housing enlightens on Amenia’s actual need

AMENIA — In an effort to accomplish a regular update of the town’s Comprehensive Plan and to address the issue of affordable housing, the town board held a public hearing on Thursday, Oct. 6 at Town Hall to inform residents about details of the process, including updated demographics and goals to answer housing needs.

“The Comprehensive Plan must be updated in terms of statistics, particularly in relation to affordable housing,” said town board member Leo Blackman. The plan was developed in 2007, containing a clear call for workforce housing.

A draft of the updated plan will be posted soon on the town’s website. The next opportunity for public comment is through a continuation of the Oct. 6 hearing, scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 20 at Town Hall, beginning at 7 p.m.  A second public hearing is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 3, also at Town Hall. When all public comment is completed, the town board will consider adopting the changes to the plan in December.

Presenting an overview of the changes to the town plan was Ashley Ley, vice president for planning at AKRF, an engineering consulting firm. With a practice centered in the Hudson Valley and Connecticut, she has been acting as a consultant on the update process. A proposed goal to be added to the defined goals within the current plan envisions installation of a solar farm atop the old Amenia landfill.

Demographic changes to be incorporated into the plan, according to Ley’s report, include changes in local population trends. For example, over the past 30 years, Amenia’s population has declined by 27.4% while Dutchess County has risen in population by 14.1%.

The need for affordable housing is demonstrated by the reporting that 29% of homeowners are paying more than 30% of their gross income on their housing, and 46% of renters are doing the same. Further, 9% of homeowners are paying more than 50% of income on housing; 23% of renters are.

Blackman noted a dearth of starter homes available for purchase by younger families and the need for affordable housing options.

Housing goals already defined in the current plan include maintaining a balance between agriculture and residential, attracting new businesses, providing employment opportunities for young people, encouraging more housing diversity and promoting opportunities for older residents to live conveniently. A new suggested goal is to promote environmentally sustainable energy practices.

Speaking of the work of the local housing board, board member Vicki Doyle said the goal of the housing board has been to make it easier to fund affordable housing. She added that a key goal has been to promote density within the hamlets and to provide for affordable housing within walking distance of businesses.

A former member of the town’s housing board, Blackman observed that the housing board has been working for three years to encourage affordable housing and has always supported the idea  of promoting foot traffic within the hamlets.

One resident noted the impact of Airbnb on affordable housing, asking that the board consider regulating the practice.

Other residents encouraged greater communication, urging the board to do everything necessary to inform the public about the work of the housing board. Wassaic General Store proprietor Sharon Kroeger said she plans to have copies of the draft plan available at her store for interested residents to borrow and return.

Recalling the advice of the town attorney, town Supervisor Victoria Perotti noted that if the town makes zoning changes, then those changes need to match the comprehensive plan. When zoning changes, then the plan should change to match.

Reviewing proposed zoning changes, Ley reported that suggested amendments include changes to minimum square footage for an apartment, allowing more flexibility in creating accessory apartments within existing homes, reducing parking space requirements, promoting local workforce housing and requiring that all such housing applications should be sent to the housing board, and eliminating the present preference list.

Ley emphasized that there will be a separate public hearing process established to consider the proposed zoning changes. They are not under consideration in the current plan update that concerns only the segments that discuss affordable housing.

“When the comprehensive plan gets rewritten, there will be a broad public process. We’re trying to get the affordable housing portion moving,” Ley said.

Perotti added that in order to make the affordable housing portion a reality, “we chose to do that portion of the comprehensive plan, along with attendant changes to the applicable zoning regulations.”

Housing board member Charles Miller said the Oct. 6 public hearing was the opening of the public comment process and that seeing the updated demographic statistics becomes helpful to that process.