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For Immediate
Release: September 10, 2007
Contact:
Warren Hart, AICP, Director
Greene County Dept. of Planning and Economic Development
411 Main Street
Catskill, NY 12414
www.greeneeconomicdevelopment.com
business@discovergreene.com
Phone: (518) 719-3290
Fax: (518) 719-3789
In This Release: |
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Greene County Legislature Developing Housing Action Plan
To Address Long-Term Housing Needs of Residents
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Greene County Launches Hudson River Corridor Study
To Create Regional Vision for 7 Historic River Towns
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Greene County Legislature Developing Housing Action Plan
To Address Long-Term Housing Needs of Residents |
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CATSKILL, New York (September 10, 2007) – Greene County is currently developing a Housing Action Plan that will quantify and assess the county’s current housing market, propose action steps to streamline and focus the development process and produce guidelines that can be used by developers and municipalities to meet the housing needs of various types of Greene County households.
“Greene County is one of the fastest growing counties in New York State, and meeting the housing needs of people in our changing economy has become a challenge,” said Greene County Legislature Chairman Wayne C. Speenburgh. Since the 2000 Census, housing prices in the County have approximately doubled, yet remain well below the averages in the nation, Hudson Valley and most of the Capital Region. Speenburgh added, “You don’t have to go far around here to see families struggling to maintain their homes due to rapidly rising prices and expenses.”
“As a Real Estate Agent and Legislator, I know how much the housing market has changed throughout Greene County,” said Karen Deyo, Greene County Legislator and member of the Housing Action Plan Advisory Committee. “A decade ago, Catskill’s Main Street was largely vacant, and the marketing time for houses in many parts of the county was 12 to 18 months, with little price appreciation,” she noted. Revitalization and new construction are now buzzwords in the county as its growth rate has increased, she added.
A recently released report from Marist College shows that Greene County has had the highest rate of housing price appreciation in the Hudson Valley region since 2001, and that Greene County has received a net inflow of migrants from every county in the Hudson Valley since 2001. Spurring this in-migration has been the discrepancy in housing prices. The average selling price of a house in the Hudson Valley stood at $568,486 at the end of 2006, compared to $174,500 in Greene County. Greene County is one of only two counties in the Hudson Valley where the average housing price is below the national average of $221,900, according to the Marist study.
“Given the differential in housing prices, it is extremely likely that the in-migration of people to Greene County in search of more affordable housing will continue over time,” said Warren Hart, AICP, Director of the Greene County Department of Planning and Economic Development. “We believe that now is the time to beginning planning for appropriate workforce housing before the cost of implementation is too high to consider, as has happened in other Hudson Valley locations,” he commented.
“There is an affordability gap in Greene County right now,” said Mr. Hart. The estimated median income in Greene County is $53,000, as measured by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It would take an income of $70,000 for a family to afford the current median house price of about almost $175,000. The current median income of $53,000 would only be sufficient to purchase a house with a price of approximately $135,000, he noted.
“It is important to Greene County's continued economic growth to have a mix of quality housing options that are affordable to households across the income spectrum. We need to have home ownership opportunities that will encourage our young people to stay and work in Greene County, just as we need to address senior housing needs,” said Douglas J. Brewer, Greene County Administrator, adding, “The Greene County Legislature is committed to an action-oriented report that will result in better planning tools for municipalities and increased housing options for its residents.”
Once the housing needs of the county are identified, the Housing Action Plan will develop “spec sheets” for the county and municipalities to use to attract developers and builders to build the specific kinds of housing the county needs, Mr. Hart said.
Plan Funded in Part by State Grant
Funding for the Housing Action Plan is being provided through a 2006 New York State Office for Small Cities Technical Assistance grant, as well as by the Greene County Legislature. River Street Planning and Development, a Capital Region firm with considerable experience in housing and community development, is assisting with the development of the plan, which should be complete by early 2008.
In addition to a report and the spec sheets, a “plain English” Power Point presentation will be created for use by community groups, local municipalities, planning boards, housing providers and other interested agencies. One goal of the Housing Action Plan is to create tools that can effectively be used at the local level by planners in their decision-making processes.
The Greene County Department of Planning and Economic Development will provide overall project management for the plan development, while its partner, Greene County Department for the Aging, will be assessing senior housing needs. The Advisory Committee, composed of experts in various sectors of the housing market, will play a key role by providing guidance, oversight and a forum for analysis for the Housing Action Plan. The members of the Advisory Committee are:
- Karen Deyo, Chairman of the Greene County Legislature’s Government Operations Committee
- Keith Valentine, Greene County Legislature Majority Leader
- Larry Gardner, Greene County Legislature Minority Leader
- Larry Krajeski, Executive Director, Catskill Mountain Housing Development Corporation
- Trisha Lamb, Vice President of Mortgage Services, the Bank of Greene County
- Charles Maggio, Regional Real Estate Developer
- Charlene Holdridge, Executive Director, Hunter Foundation
- Mark Hyer, Chairman, Town of Hunter Planning Board
- Tom Yandeau, Director, Greene County Department for the Aging
For more information on Greene County Planning and Economic Development, call (518) 719-3290 or visit www.greeneeconomicdevelopment.com.
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Greene County Launches Hudson River Corridor Study
To Create Regional Vision for 7 Historic River Towns |
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CATSKILL, New York (September 10 , 2007) – Greene County has begun a Hudson River Corridor Study that will bring together local officials and community leaders to plan for the growth and development of its Hudson River corridor and establish policy and standards for the review of projects at the county level by the Greene County Planning Board. Funding for the study is being provided through a New York State Department of State Quality Communities grant, as well as by the Greene County Legislature.
“The Hudson River Corridor Study is an extension of several on-going projects within the county,” said Greene County Legislature Chairman Wayne C. Speenburgh. “The corridor study will help link together and implement the economic development policy recommendations of the county’s Economic Development Plan, the recent designation of four Empire Zone areas by the Greene County Legislature, and on-going local municipal Comprehensive Land Use Plans,” he explained.
“All seven of the Historic River Town communities have also demonstrated leadership and commitment in addressing the impacts of growth and development of this important corridor through the preparation of Comprehensive Land Use Plans,” said Karen Deyo, Greene County Legislator and Government Operations Committee Chair. “This level of professional planning and intermunicipal cooperation is unprecedented in the history of Greene County and is underscored by each of the riverfront communities agreeing to the preparation of joint town/village Comprehensive Land Use Plans,” she asserted.
The goal of this study is to integrate local plans and form a shared regional vision for appropriate growth and development of the Hudson River corridor. The project will also include the preparation of county-level policies and standards to guide the Greene County Planning Board in the review of projects, along with an update and revision of the Greene County Planning and Zoning Referral Guide. The study is expected to be complete in early 2008.
This project is being facilitated by a professional consulting firm, Behan Planning Associates, LLC, of Saratoga Springs, NY. The firm has extensive experience in facilitating community and regional plans. The Greene County Department of Planning and Economic Development will provide overall project management, along with its project partners and an Advisory Committee. Composed of local officials and residents, the Advisory Committee will play a key role by providing guidance, oversight and a forum for analysis of the corridor study. The members of the Advisory Committee are:
- Alexander Betke, Supervisor, Town of Coxsackie
- John Bull, Mayor, Village of Coxsackie
- Rocco Cole, Chair, Village of Coxsackie Planning Board
- Wayne Deyo, Chair, Greene County Planning Board
- Larry Federman, Asst. Warden/Educator, Audubon New York and Town of Catskill
- David Louis, Supervisor, Town of New Baltimore
- Albert Salvino, Supervisor, Town of Athens
- Margaret Moree, Resident, Village of Athens
- Vincent Seeley, President, Village of Catskill
Project partners include:
- Alexander “Sandy” Mathes, Executive Director, Greene County IDA
- Rene VanSchaak, Executive Director, Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District
- Andy Turner, Executive Director, Greene County Cornell Cooperative Extension
For more information on Greene County Planning and Economic Development, call (518) 719-3290 or visit www.greeneeconomicdevelopment.com.
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