Millerton presented with affordable housing options

MILLERTON — Times are tough. Everyone knows it. That’s why people like Sam Busselle are concerned with making sure there’s enough affordable housing in our towns and villages.

"I’m trying to promote housing options for all economic levels," Busselle said recently, when he spoke on behalf of the Tri-Corner Alliance before the Millerton Village Board.

According to its Web site, the "Tri-Corner Alliance, Inc. is a coalition of member organizations committed to expanding housing opportunities and increasing the quantity and quality of affordable housing available to low- and moderate-income persons in the Tri-Corner area of northwest Connecticut, northeast Dutchess and Columbia counties in New York, and south Berkshire County in Massachusetts."

Affordable housing has been hard to find in this part of the world for years, as Busselle well knows.

"I was looking at [an old] Millerton News and I was identified as the low and affordable housing guy, and my goal was by the year 2000 to establish 100 units [of low and affordable] housing [in Millerton]," Busselle said. "I don’t think there were very many units established about that time."

And so he’s back, bringing with him the director of the Tri-Corner Alliance, Brook Temple, who appeared with Busselle at last Monday’s Village Board meeting.

"We’re a brainchild of [the Berkshire Taconic Foundation] and we wanted to [share some information with you]," Temple said, adding that questions abound regarding what is affordable housing, how can affordable housing help sustain a community and how affordable housing can be encouraged. "We at the Tri-Corner Alliance have a real serious worry with what’s happening with winter coming up and fuel oil probably reaching $5 a gallon."

That’s why, he said, the following question arose: "What can we do to encourage the development of accessory building usage?"

That usage would provide affordable housing options to those in need of living arrangements.

"We thought that maybe we could help make people aware of some of those regulations [that were created by communities including Millerton] that do exist," Temple said.

For instance, there could be senior citizens who reside in homes with two or three extra rooms, struggling to afford to remain in their homes. By renting out those extra rooms, they can afford to keep their homes, heat them come wintertime and provide housing to those in need. There’s also the extra benefit of companionship, if that’s something one is seeking.

The logistics are not so difficult, according to Temple.

"The extra space in a raised ranch can be a very easy conversion," he said. "For a couple of thousand dollars you could have an affordable housing apartment, and you haven’t changed anything in the community [in terms of new construction]."

The ideas, however, are new, he conceded, and not just for those hearing about these types of housing alternatives for the first time. Temple, too, is still learning about the topic and the issues related to it. That’s why he said he wanted to approach the Village Board, to "throw some ideas out for discussion."

There are many things to be considered though, he warned.

"One major concern is, ‘Who am I going to have as a tenant?’" he said. "So a management concern is helping people screen tenants. This option isn’t for everybody."

Village Trustee Yosh Schulman had a suggestion for Temple.

"I could see how having some kind of packet, with assistance for leading people through the process, could help," he said.

Temple agreed and said there are some pamphlets already available and he’s all for creating more.

"There are some financial benefits, too," Busselle said. "[We want to] develop a loan fund to help with the up-front costs, development costs, mortgages and interest costs. We’re also talking about having a large conference in the fall to bring everybody together [to discuss these types of ideas]."

Busselle added that the alliance is trying to create an advisory board, and is seeking interested persons to sit on that board. For more information, log onto www.tricorner.org.