Hearing on affordable housing resumes May 22

RHINEBECK, N.Y. >> A public hearing will reconvene May 22 on a proposed rule that developers include affordable housing units when seeking approval to build 10 or more houses or apartments.

The hearing will convene at 6:45 p.m. in the Town Hall, 80 E. Market St.

The first portion of the public hearing was held this past Monday, and no comments were made.

“We anticipate the that county will probably want to weigh in on this, so we’re not taking any action on this local law [yet] ... and will leave [the public hearing] open for a period of two months because we want an opportunity to digest [any] comments and discuss it with the Affordable Housing Committee,” said Town Attorney Warren Replansky

Efforts to develop affordable housing regulations for Rhinebeck date back to 2009, when the town adopted a revised Comprehensive Plan that included the goal of having market-rate properties in new housing projects.

The rule currently under consideration would allow developers to pay a fee of 25 cents per square foot for each unit they seek to exempt from requirements that 10 percent of a project include affordable housing.

There are would be provisions allowing developers to exceed zoning limits on the maximum number of housing units that could be constructed in some districts. The proposal calls for a fee of $5 per square foot for each additional unit.

Also under the proposal, the town would establish an account that could be tapped to support affordable housing projects. Costs covered by the account would include consulting and legal fees for affordable housing projects; infrastructure, such as roads, water, sewer and drainage; and purchasing properties.