Pro-Housing details debated by Shelter Island Town Board: Accessing State funds a priority for affordable housing 

The Town Board agreed Tuesday to scrap a companion statement to the New York State “Pro-Housing Community” agreement that had to be signed with no changes. If the Island can qualify as a Pro-Housing Community, it would gain access to grant money needed to build affordable housing units.

Early concerns were whether there were aspects of the State’s agreement that would compromise the Town’s Zoning Code that’s undergoing revisions. To try to ensure that wouldn’t happen, there was an effort to write a companion piece outlining how the State agreement could fit with Shelter Island’s needs.

But urged on by Councilmen Benjamin Dyett and Gordon Gooding, the Board took little time to move the Pro-Housing agreement forward without the companion piece. Mr. Dyett, who had been very involved in helping draft the companion statement, told his colleagues after rethinking it for a week, that he had concluded it could create some “unintended consequences” and result in denial of the Island gaining Pro-Housing status that would open the door to needed grant funds.

The councilman said the State’s agreement is “relatively harmless and innocuous” and as acting Town Attorney Steven Leventhal had said a week earlier, was more “aspirational” than a dictate to the Town.

Mr. Gooding had started the discussion going by telling his colleagues he didn’t want to include the companion statement, but favors affordable housing and wants to see the project get underway without delay. At the same time, he said he wants to ensure the public is “informed and involved.” To achieve that end, Mr. Gooding said, the public has to have a complete understanding of the process and financial considerations. 

Supervisor Amber-Brach Williams and Councilman Albert Dickson quickly signed on to push ahead and Deputy Town Supervisor Meg Larsen, who had also been involved with the effort to write the companion statement, made it clear she favored moving forward without that addendum.

But the Town Board’s work on the subject wasn’t over for the day.

To keep the process moving forward, the Supervisor said a meeting needed to be slated between the Town Board and the Community Housing Board and attorneys for both to draft a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) it could submit to the lone respondent to the Request for Qualifications to aid in funding affordable housing here, the Community Development Corporation of Long Island.

But that created some confusion for Mr. Gooding who said he didn’t understand that while the CDCLI was the only respondent to the RFQ, the Community Housing Board was looking to move forward when he didn’t recall any vote by the Town Board.

Mr. Dyett explained to him that drafting an MOU held no obligation on the part of the Town or CDCLI to sign any contracts relating to the project. Instead, it’s simply a statement of factors important to the Town that could be adopted by the CDCLI to press forward with creation of contracts; adjustments to meet CDCLI representatives’ interests; or the end of further talks between the two if agreement became inconclusive.

Prior to the signing of a contract, either side could walk away. The MOU creates no obligation to work together.

But the timing of such a meeting became difficult to arrange, and it remains unclear when both the Town Board and the CHB and their lawyers can meet.

At the same time, the Town Board is requesting a separate meeting with CDCLI officials to discuss issues of financing and management of the project. That could occur on Aug. 12 or 19 as part of the Town Board work session.

Ms. Brach-Williams said she preferred Aug. 19 to give Town Board members an opportunity ahead of that meeting to address any questions members may have for the CDCLI.