Housing plan on front burner
City says affordable housing project introduced at mayor’s State of the City address progressing
In mid-January, Mayor Steve Noble outlined an idea for a fair housing plan in his State of the City address.
“Over the next seven months, the Office of Economic and Community Development will be working with the community to create the City of Kingston’s Fair Housing Plan,” the mayor said in his Jan. 10 speech.
“Once approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, this plan will give us a series of measurable outcomes and goals that will be the basis of our community development efforts for the next five years.”
“The plan will cover all barriers to housing, including transportation, walkability, employment, and
more,” Noble said.
And while no plan has yet been produced, and probably won’t be until May, 2019, it is still very much on the front burner, according to Megan Weiss-Rowe, director of city communications and community engagement.
“The city has made progress towards its fair housing planning effort and will be
integrating it into the city’s next Community Development Block Grant 5-Year Consolidated Plan that will cover the 2019-2023 fiscal years (July 1-June 30),” she noted.
That plan is not due out until May, 2019, WeissRowe said.
“We will engage a consultant to help prepare the plan and assist with community outreach and engagement in the development of the plan,” WeissRowe said.
She added the “plan will
identify community needs, long-range program goals, specific program objectives, annual goals and benchmarks for measuring the program’s progress.”
“It will be an overview of how the city will use its annual CDBG Entitlement award in promoting fair housing, increasing affordable housing opportunities, assisting organizations and businesses in increasing employment and training opportunities and supporting suitable living environments by implementing
ADA accessibility projects, improving streets and sidewalks, creating or improving park areas and neighborhood centers, etc,” Weiss-Rowe said.
She added the city is preparing a request for proposal in an effort to hire a consultant.
In recent years, affordable housing builder RUPCO has built, or is about to build, much in the way of affordable housing in the city.
The agency has, most recently, completed its 55-unit
Lace Mill apartment complex in Midtown.
RUPCO has also started building its Cedar Street Energy Square project which, when completed, will contain 57 units of affordable housing.
On Monday, the city’s Planning Board is expected to make a decision on whether to grant RUPCO a special permit and site plan approval to build The Landmark, another affordable housing project on Flatbush Avenue.
The Planning Board will
meet at 6 p.m.
That project, if built, will comprise 34 apartments in an existing vacant structure and 32 more units in a new four-story building, all at the former Alms House property.
The Kingston Housing Authority also runs several affordable housing complexes in the city.
And there are also a number of privately-owned affordable housing units in the city including Birchwood Village on Flatbush Avenue.