Last summer, BFJ Planning, the same group that consulted on Hudson's LWRP (Local Waterfront Revitalization Program) back in 2006-2007, was hired to consult on policy issues with the Housing Trust Fund. On Monday night, Thomas Madden of BFJ made a presentation to the Common Council at its informal meeting. In his presentation, Madden defined the scope of the project as these five tasks:
- Analyzing the financial feasibility of an inclusionary zoning or set-aside policy
- Finding a public revenue source dedicated to providing sustainable revenue to the newly created Hudson Housing Trust Fund
- Revising the City's existing vacancy law
- Sketching governance structures for a new community land trust in the City to create permanently affordable housing
- Considering any temporary affordable housing overlays in the interim while the City pursues a new comprehensive plan and zoning code update
- Potential Revenue for the Hudson Housing Trust Fund
- Governance Structures for Community Land Trusts
- Revising the City's Existing Vacancy Law
- Inclusionary Zoning--Affordable Housing Overlay Zones
In response a question from Councilmember Theo Anthony (Fourth Ward), Madden said that implementing an affordable housing overlay zone was an action that could be taken right away. The BFJ study suggested that the part of the city designated as the Local Waterfront Revitalization Area in the LWRP could also be the subject area for an affordable housing overlay zone.
An overlay zone "floats over" existing, designated zone(s) on a zoning map. Typically zoning restrictions are reduced and development incentives are provided for housing projects within the overlay zone with high percentages of below-market-rate housing units. The overlay zone proposed by BFJ includes Recreational Conservation Districts on both the south and north sides of the city, as well as the extensive property owned by FASNY (Firefighters Association of the State of New York) on the north side and the Hudson Correctional Facility on the south side. It would also include the parts of the city below Third Street, north of State Street, and south of Union Street.
Does the fact that more than one hundred affordable housing units have been approved by the City fit in to this issue? It's almost as if no one on the Council or the Planning Board have any property development or management experience. At all. Not even anecdotally. It takes 1 to 2 years to build housing once it's been approved -- and the planning process in Hudson tends to be attenuated more often than not. It seems that there is a lot of planning to solve a problem for which the City has already approved a solution.
ReplyDeleteJohn - C'mon, man, the Housing Justice Director has to at least appear to be accomplishing something.
DeleteThe 100 units are not a consideration. A proposal for permanent housing projects on the waterfront and city recreational park land isn't a realistic housing plan. It's apparently part of a culture war focused on beating back the growth of Hudson's tourist and upscale second home weekend economy.
ReplyDeleteThere already is affordable housing in the
ReplyDeleteWaterfront Revitalization area, Hudson Terraces and in the 2nd Ward, and Crosswinds near the Fireman's Home, never mind what is already approved. How much is enough?