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Draft plan envisions 20-40 affordable units: Survey respondents favor rentals over sale houses

Islanders who have been seeking clear information about initiatives to develop affordable housing on the Island got some answers the evening of Sept. 1.

Nelson Pope Voorhis consultant Kathryn Eiseman, a partner and manager of the Environmental and Community Planning Division at the firm’s  Long Island Office spoke at a meeting of the Community Housing Fund Advisory Board. Among early findings, Ms. Eiseman reported, are:

• The number of units that could be needed on the Island would be between 20 and 40, not all of which would have to be from new construction.

• Islanders — 159 of whom have responded to surveys — have a preference for rental units, not a mix of sale and rental units, but they also prefer apartments above stores and offices. Community Housing Fund Advisory Board members see that as impractical since there aren’t many commercial establishments that could provide housing.

• There’s concern among Islanders as what they see as a lack of transparency from the Town Board that could be hampering the effort to win support for the Nov. 8 referendum, which would use a 0.5% real estate transfer tax to help finance development of affordable housing.

• Concerns continue about the quality and quantity of groundwater, drinking water and the impact of wastewater, and a lack of understanding about the use of a transfer of development rights.

• Once adopted, a housing plan should be re-examined at least every five years

Ms. Eiseman is to report to the Town Board at its Sept. 13 work session.

Members of the Community Housing Fund Advisory Board will be reviewing the preliminary information they received Thursday and get back with final comments to Ms. Eiseman by Friday, Sept. 9, so the consultant can finalize her Town Board presentation.

Survey results are posted on the Town website under the CHF Advisory Board tab.

The needs assessment is compromised by an inability to reach former Islanders who have moved because of an inability to find affordable housing on the Island. How many would have interest in returning to the Island if housing existed is unknown.

But what is seen from census data is there are likely to be fewer young people looking for affordable housing and a growth of the senior population, some of whom may prefer units smaller than the houses in which they raised families, and now live alone.

Another question is how many seniors or others might be interested in providing living units in their houses or accessory buildings on their properties. Years ago, few seniors expressed interest in such arrangements, but it’s unclear if that’s changed.

There are questions about who would manage affordable housing. Ms. Eiseman suggested exploration of Community Land Trust (CLT) housing where housing prices could be kept lower because those who purchased would own the structure but not the land on which a house sits.

Such structures are in existence throughout the nation, including on Fisher’s Island, a part of Southold Town. They could be built by developers and those who qualified to purchase them could resell them back to the CLT with a limited profit based on certain allowable improvements they may make to the houses.

That would keep the houses perpetually affordable, a factor important to Islanders who responded to the survey.

The CHF Advisory Board heard some of the results to its survey outlined by Ms. Eiseman:

• 57% said they knew someone who had left the Island because of housing costs.

• 70% said they knew someone who commutes to the Island for full-time work.

• 100% of respondents said Island housing costs now exceed more than 30% of income.

CHF members speculated the reason so few favored sale houses could be because they lack the necessary information about how they could manage a mortgage, CHF Advisory Board member Michael Shatken said.

“It’s the fear of the unknown,” said committee member and real estate professional Peter McCracken.

The need for financial counseling is critical members concluded.

At its Sept. 27 meeting, the Town Board is to set a public hearing date on the plan for Oct. 11.

The League of Women Voters of the Hamptons, Shelter Island and the North Fork has scheduled a separate panel discussion on the votes to occur in four of the five East End towns.

Only Riverhead had chosen not to put a referendum on its Nov. 8 ballot. The League panel will be carried  at YouTube.com/c/SeaTVSouthampton at 7 p.m. Sept. 13, or watched on the same YouTube channel the following day. Shelter Island attorney Cathy Kenny is committee co-chair and Andrea Gabor will moderate the discussion titled “Affordable Housing: Hope or Promise?”

Panelists are  Assemblyman Fred Thiele, Jr. (D-Sag Harbor), architect of the Community Preservation Fund and Community Housing Fund legislation signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul (D); Deputy Town Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams; ,Tom Ruhle, East Hampton Town Director of Housing & Community Development; and Curtis Highsmith, executive director of the Southampton Town Housing Authority.