The new year is a time for governments to establish an agenda of priorities for the future. One priority of NYS Governor Hochul is a significant growth of housing units across NYS. The argument is based on affordability of housing. The Governor argues because housing costs are now “unaffordable” municipalities must collectively, substantially grow local housing by taking any and all steps necessary to approve more housing units. The concern of many people who are fleeing New York State in record numbers is New York has become unaffordable. Perhaps lowering the cost of living and conducting business in New York would lead to decreasing the inflationary cost of housing. But, as we have experienced time and time again steps to make NY more affordable are not instituted. Instead, the answer is more subsidies to help people sustain their current quality of life, which thereby makes NY increasingly unaffordable for the everyday New Yorker working and paying the bills.
George Bailey described us as the people doing the working, the paying, the living and dying in our communities. The one thing each community has possessed as a backstop to troublesome policies from NYS is local zoning and decision making. Support is growing to eviscerate that backstop in reaction to a stated “emergency” or “crisis” as announced by higher levels of government.
In depth analyses are being conducted on any piece of vacant property in neighborhoods in various areas of the state that can be utilized for muti-family housing. One option that is growing in popularity with people around the country is the idea of a developer purchasing a number of single-family homes in an established neighborhood, leveling the homes and building a multi-family housing structure where the homes once stood. Can you imagine an apartment complex built in the middle of Clifton Knolls, Country Knolls, The Oaks or any other neighborhood in Clifton Park? You should because that is a realistic outcome as housing initiatives progress. Investment houses are buying up residential properties in huge numbers around the country. Concern about this trend has grown to the point where legislation is being introduced in Congress that would no longer allow this practice.
In her address yesterday, the Governor stated many people want the option of choosing how municipalities grow their housing stock while maintaining local zoning and decision making- so fine we will give it a try. However, she has proven she will throw in an occasional Executive Order on this topic for good measure. I give her credit for the message, but the style in which it was delivered gave the viewer the idea that if this doesn’t work, the state needs and will, take more aggressive actions to grow housing units and everything is on the table. For now, the Governor is using more subsidies, under the cover of incentives, for municipalities who take steps to grow their housing units. If a municipality grows their housing units they will be rewarded with grant funding.
My position is Clifton Park will protect its neighborhoods and I will not support zoning changes that would allow multi-family housing in our neighborhoods. Every parcel in Town must have a zoning designation. Clifton Park has grown from about 5,000 people in the early 60s to 30,000 in the late 80s and we now have a population of 38,000. I understand Clifton Park may be penalized for not taking specific steps to grow the number of housing units at the rate desired by New York State. But, deferring our zoning and local decision-making or negating zoning protections in our neighborhoods are not viable options.
Clifton Park and Beyond 