By Paul Post<\/p>\n
Enough timber comes out of the Adirondacks to build a boardwalk stretching from Queensbury to California and back.<\/p>\n
A project like that would generate worldwide attention without serving any practical purpose.<\/p>\n
Recent studies say a great deal more lumber should be used to build much-needed workforce housing that\u2019s vital for sustaining a healthy, vibrant local economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe North Country region is facing a severe and growing workforce housing crisis that threatens to further constrain economic growth, negatively impact local workers\u2019 and households\u2019 quality of life, and disrupt the balance between a year-round and seasonal population.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s one of the key findings in \u201cBuilding Balanced Communities for the North Country,\u201d a report prepared for the Lake George-Lake Champlain Regional Planning Board focused on Essex, Clinton, Franklin and Hamilton counties.<\/p>\n
Similar concerns, although not quite as severe, are raised in a separate \u201cAffordable Housing Strategy\u201d study prepared for the Town of Queensbury.<\/p>\n
It says housing cost stress in this Warren County community hasn\u2019t reached crisis levels yet, but will likely increase significantly in the near future because many categories of housing costs for both owners and renters are expected to increase at a rate roughly double the expected increase in household income growth.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed, by 2027 both renters and owners will have a unit gap at all income levels up to 120 percent of median income \u201c . \u201cthere is likely to be a significant affordability problem\u201d . \u201cand units affordable at or below the 30 percent-of-median income threshold will be largely unavailable leading to many households becoming \u2018housing cost burdened\u2019,\u201d the report says.<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span>The North Country study says the gap between income levels and housing costs is much worse in the sparsely-populated Adirondack region, which has few large employers. The \u201cdrastically misaligned\u201d situation puts quality housing options out of reach for many people, it says, adding that \u201cworkers and their families are being priced out of many employment centers, which results in longer commutes or relocation out of the region\u201d and that \u201cbusinesses have struggled to attract and retain employees due to local housing challenges, threatening future regional economic growth and vitality.\u201d<\/p>\n Specifically, the report says \u201cthe median household income in the region grew by 15 percent from 2015 to 2020 while the median home price grew by 28 percent. The mismatch between income levels and housing prices means a typical household would need an additional $20,000 in annual income to afford a typical median-priced home in the region. Home prices are generally out of reach of most workers and year-round households. Homes that are available at more attainable price points often have quality issues or are located far from employment centers, amenities, quality schools.\u201d<\/p>\n Both the Queensbury and North Country reports point out that the region\u2019s economic conditions and housing availability and affordability are inextricably linked, and that there is no single solution to solving the problem, which requires a multi-pronged approach.<\/p>\n Among their key recommendations, both reports call for a drastic change in zoning regulations to accommodate more affordable workforce housing.<\/p>\n \u201cCurrent zoning regulations in many parts of the region do not allow for construction of workforce housing,\u201d the North Country study says. \u201cExamples of existing restrictions that are stifling the creation of needed housing include unreasonable density restrictions in community centers and prohibitions on multi-family housing types in residential areas, among others.\u201d<\/p>\n But lack of workforce housing isn\u2019t unique to the Adirondacks.<\/p>\n Saratoga County has a critical demand for such housing, especially for middle-income people such as teachers and healthcare workers whose talents are vitally essential to local employers.<\/p>\n \u201cI would say the two biggest challenges to Saratoga County\u2019s continued economic growth are the need for more workforce housing and expanded public transportation,\u201d said Todd Shimkus, Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce president. \u201cWe continue to have job openings across every sector of our local economy, and for many the applicant pool is limited by the fact that more and more people are being priced out of living close to these jobs or lack convenient and reliable transportation to travel to work consistently.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe median sales prices of a home year to date in Saratoga County is now over $400,000 and it is over $600,000 in Saratoga Springs so we are pricing ourselves out of the competition for talent at all levels of income,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Several obstacles stand in the way of providing more workforce housing. These include, but aren\u2019t limited to: 1) the cost of land, building materials and labor; 2) costs associated to complying with local zoning requirements; 3) occasional local opposition to such housing in certain neighborhoods and communities.<\/p>\n Katherine Tiedemann, the city\u2019s community development planner, said traditional low-income affordable housing is easier to address and navigate because there\u2019s a set income cap. Anybody who makes below this figure is eligible to apply.<\/p>\n Middle-income employees typically aren\u2019t enrolled in other types of assistance programs and are less familiar with affordable housing opportunities, she said.<\/p>\n Under the city\u2019s Workforce Housing Program, there are currently 11 two-bedroom condominiums on Jefferson Street (unrelated to the Housing Authority\u2019s Jefferson Terrace), reserved for buyers at 80 percent of the median income, ranging from $59,400 (one person) to $84,800 (four persons).<\/p>\n But there are currently no vacancies and under the life cycle of any property, people typically stay at least 15 years before moving somewhere else, Tiedemann said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a very contemporary issue that we\u2019re all facing,\u201d she said. \u201c A lot of people in the city are talking about it. I don\u2019t know if there\u2019s a direct answer right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Shimkus said, \u201cI think our state is more controlling than flexible in the way they think workforce housing should be built, especially as it relates to working with non-profits versus for-profit developers. Given this situation, I think local and state officials really need to look at using the land in downtown Saratoga Springs where the former senior center is located for workforce housing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s turn that property over to the Saratoga Springs Housing Authority and let them set up a pilot where downtown employees in our hospitality and healthcare sectors will get the first chance to rent the units they build so these people can walk or bike to work,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is the type of action we will need to take or else Saratoga Springs will become a city in the country exclusively for the wealthy which is not a path to sustaining our economic success.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Paul Post Enough timber comes out of the Adirondacks to build a boardwalk stretching from Queensbury to California and back. A project like that would generate worldwide attention without serving any practical purpose. Recent studies say a great deal more lumber should be used to build much-needed workforce housing that\u2019s vital for sustaining a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commercial-residential-real-estate"],"yoast_head":"\r\n