Survey, solutions and scenarios discussed by Housing Board

AMENIA — Along with discussing its own efforts to find out more about local housing needs, the Amenia Housing Board shared plans to seek information and recommendations from other local and county resources during its meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 13. 

Though it had initially planned to convene at Amenia Town Hall, the board ultimately met via Zoom at 5:35 p.m.

In September it discussed the survey its been working on to determine local housing needs. After creating a tablet and analyzing the information, the board now wants to hold a public hearing. To get info about the survey out to the public, member Leo Blackman suggested sending out postcards and flyers as well as directing citizens to fill out a future survey on the town website, www.ameniany.gov.

Blackman raised the need to complete the survey format and postcard text as soon as possible so it can be sent out to residents. Amenia Town Councilman Damian Gutierrez, who has been sitting in on Housing Board meetings, offered to raise the matter before the Town Board at its Oct. 15 meeting, while Town Councilwoman Vicki Doyle, who has also been attending the Housing Board meetings, said she will again contact Fountain Press, an Amenia graphic design and printing business, about the cost of printing and distributing the survey and related materials. Blackman said the text should be brief and inviting and that a graphic designer is needed for the project. He hopes to send out the postcards by mid-November.

Gutierrez said he thought the town clerk could give out and collect paper copies of the survey for those without a personal computer while Housing Board member Tracy Salladay suggesting having 10 postcards enlarged to 8.5-inches by 11-inches to post at Freshtown, the local VFW and the local health center. She also suggested contacting the newspapers. Blackman added the board should “capture those who just work in Amenia,” as employers expressed concerned about housing workers.

As another option for workforce housing, the board discussed accessory apartments. Salladay sent a link to all the board members about news regarding a small Vermont town’s solution to affordable housing, which involved setting a specific five-year goal with a targeted number of housing units. She prepared a draft explanation of the code provisions, but thought it was too technical. Blackman agreed and said he felt the board might have another brief postcard mailing in the future with detailed information on the town website, perhaps with some financial incentives for construction.

When discussing the kind of help the Dutchess County Department of Planning and Development (DCDPD) might be able to provide, Blackman noted that he, Doyle and Salladay had reviewed previous town plans — some of which were kicked off by the DCDPD — and found their recommendations for affordable housing, a denser downtown, a sewer system, preserving farmland and other similar concepts were consistent over 40 years. He asked the board if it should request county planning review its past recommendations and make new ones for how the board can best use that data. Gutierrez said he thought it made sense to “go big” and ask the DCDPD for an overall improvement strategy.

Turning the conversation over to the Town Board representatives, Blackman asked how the Housing Board could best update the town. Gutierrez shared his concerns that, in order to create housing, the Housing Board will need not just the results from its survey but also “a thoughtful process for getting the community on board,” as stated in the meeting minutes. A planner is likely to be required to lead it though this process, and Gutierrez suggested the Housing Board pitch this idea to start the process of seeking grants

As a way to gauge what would make the town of Amenia appealing for the creation of workforce and mixed-use housing, Blackman wondered if the Housing Board should invite some developers to talk about their experiences. As Housing Board members Jeff Barnett-Winsby and Joy Johnson have both been involved with housing, the rest of the Housing Board considered that it would be easiest to start with them. In terms of inviting developers to a future Housing Board meeting, Barnett-Winsby had previously suggested Allan Co. as well as Ann Kearney while Salladay suggested local Realtors.

The next Housing Board meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 5:30 p.m.