North East becomes certified Pro-Housing Community; Millerton begins process

MILLERTON — The town of North East announced last week that it has achieved certification as a New York State Pro-Housing Community, a designation that encourages and rewards municipalities taking steps to increase their housing supply.

North East is now one of 352 Pro-Housing Communities in the state — when the town began the process, there were just 75.

“This sends a signal to developers and others that we want more housing in our community,” said Councilwoman Meg Winkler, who heads the housing committee and has been spearheading this process. “It may also give us increased opportunities for grants moving forward.”

The Village of Millerton has also begun the certification process. During their Sept. 9 board meeting, village trustees passed a resolution adopting the state’s Pro-Housing Pledge, a first step toward showing commitment to addressing the housing shortage and qualifying for Pro-Housing Community status.

Winkler offered to collaborate with the village on the logistics and paperwork, which she noted can be daunting. Supervisor Chris Kennan thanked her for the considerable effort that helped North East achieve its certification.