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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAWHC 2026-02-03 AWHC 2026-02-03 Final AFFORDABLE AND WORKFORCE HOUSING COMMITTEE February 03, 2026 Virtual (via Zoom) Present: Leonardo Vargas-Mendez (chair and Town Board), Christina Dravis (Town Board), Charles Geisler, Michael Murphy (Village of Dryden), Martha Robertson Absent: Miles McCarty (Village of Freeville), Ryan McHugh Staff: Ray Burger (Director of Planning) Guest(s): Craig Anderson, David West The meeting was called to order at 2:00 p.m. David West (Housing and Community Development Director, Tompkins County Planning Department) mentioned that Shawna Stevenson (Housing and Community Development Planner, Tompkins County Planning Department) will be presenting the housing snapshot to the Tompkins County legislature tonight and to the Homeless and Housing Task Force tomorrow, with himself attending for support and questions. M Robertson noted the value of watching these meetings on YouTube to hear the unique questions posed by different people. L Vargas-Mendez acknowledged that Will Olson will be attending future Committee meetings as the representative of Freeville. There is uncertainty, though, about whether he would need to be appointed to the Committee by the Town Board. Planning Department Update: Route 13 Feasibility Study R Burger reported that the Route 13 feasibility study has transitioned to the contract phase. Fisher was the only responsive bidder and is currently reviewing a draft contract. The aim is for the contract to be finalized within the week to ensure work commences by the end of the month. The Committee decided to invite them to its March 3 meeting to discuss the scope of work and address questions. Planning Department Update: Hanshaw Village Mobile Home Community Sewer/Water Issues R Burger reported that a force main extension is planned from the south side of Rte 13, extending half a mile up Hanshaw Rd to connect to the Hanshaw Village Mobile Home Park. The Town received a $1.5 million CDBG grant for sewer infrastructure at Hanshaw Village. Cook Properties is expected to cover the remaining balance (approximately $1 million). Preliminary design work is expected by early summer 2026, with construction queued for 2027. Unlike the sewer project, the water line extension currently lacks full funding. It is estimated to cost over $1 million. The Town is competing for a Tompkins County infrastructure grant to synchronize this work with the sewer installation to reduce costs and neighborhood disturbance. While currently framed as a private project for the exclusive use of the mobile home community, the infrastructure is being sized to accommodate future growth. A formal map plan and report would be required to establish a public district extension, allowing adjacent landowners, including Cornell University, to tie into the lines. Some of this groundwork has already been laid, as the Town considered this option about 20 years ago. T. G. Miller was contracted to produce some preliminary drawings, but ultimately the Town decided not to go AWHC 2026-02-03 Final forward with the project. The sewer lines will remain private until such time that a district extension is formally established, at which point they would be turned over to the Town and become public. The Committee identified a large parcel of Cornell-owned land adjacent to Rte 13 and Hanshaw Rd as a high-priority location for future housing. While Cornell representatives have stated they have no current plans for the land, they appeared open to the idea of development. R Burger intends to re-engage Cornell to discuss how the impending infrastructure extensions could facilitate housing on this site. Update: Zoning Advisory Group (ZAG) C Geisler reported that the ZAG will be meeting on Thursday night. There have been slow yet important discussions with regard to definitions thus far, but now that the group is broaching the topic of uses (Section 5 of the code), discussion will move faster. Update: Hillside Acres C Geisler reported that residents of Hillside Acres are working under a 70- to 80-day deadline to execute a buyout and form a resident-owned cooperative. The purchase price is estimated at $10 million, with total financing needs reaching approximately $11 million when incorporating infrastructure and organizational costs. While D West helped secure $5 million from New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) at 1% interest, finding the remaining $5-6 million (from local banks or ROC USA) at a manageable interest rate remains a major hurdle. Market-rate interest is viewed as prohibitive, potentially doubling the pad rent for residents. Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services (INHS) has assisted in a $40,000 pre- development grant application to HCR to fund technical assessments of the park’s infrastructure. C Geisler mentioned that the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) may be another source of funding that the residents might consider. A meeting has been scheduled for tomorrow night for residents to vote on incorporating as a legal entity. This would be a watershed moment, as a cooperative corporation must exist to sign contracts with ROC USA or to receive state funds (from HCR). If the cooperative fails, residents may still form a Homeowners Association (HOA) to negotiate with future buyers. Trillium Woods Subdivision R Burger informed the Committee that a proposal for a 20-lot subdivision on 230 acres at the intersection of Ed Hill and Hile School Rds has sparked debate regarding the balance of environmental preservation, agriculture, and housing. It was acknowledged that one of these lots would be donated to the Wetlands Trust. The site contains two Unique Natural Areas (UNA), one of which features protected, though not endangered, Trillium flowers. Beck Farms currently leases much of the land for crops. The Agriculture Advisory Committee has reportedly recommended against the project to preserve soil productivity. Committee members expressed that the large-acre lots, as current plans suggest, do not meet the Town’s need for affordable or middle-income housing and may lead to “McMansions.” The Committee suggests that if the developers use smaller lots (e.g., 1-2 acres) based on soil quality for septic systems, the project could offer more reasonable home prices while preserving more open space. R Burger noted that, in terms of locating the residential development, the wetland area in the southwest corner would have to be avoided because you would want soils that could AWHC 2026-02-03 Final actually carry away the septic. Another factor would be the fact that industrial farming is taking place directly adjacent to the proposed development, on the other side of Ed Hill Rd, so proximity to that would be avoided to prevent any conflict from arising. R Burger thought it would be important for the Committee to advocate for cluster development and for housing in general, as that voice was not heard at the last Planning Board meeting where this project was introduced; there were, however, strong advocates for both agriculture and the environment in attendance. Committee members wordsmithed the following initial offering: “Regarding the Trillium Woods Farm proposal at Ed Hill and Hile School Rds, this Committee supports housing development in the Town, but the current proposal is lacking. We urge the developers to create a conservation cluster development using much smaller parcels to use the land as efficiently as possible, protecting environmental and agricultural assets, and resulting in homes that would be more affordable than the current proposal.” It was clarified that this would not be affordable housing in the technical sense of the phrase (80% of AMI). If 15- or 20-acre lots are being created, the only people who can afford them will develop “5-bedroom houses with 6 bathrooms.” What is being asked for is affordability in the general sense, making lots reasonably priced and more affordable for interested purchasers. RESOLUTION #3 (2026) – RESOLUTION REGARDING TRILLIUM WOODS FARM M Robertson offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: Whereas, in January 2026 the Planning Board had a first look at a possible major subdivision, called the Trillium Woods Farm project, for development of approximately 238 acres immediately southwest of the intersection of Ed Hill and Hile School Roads, and Whereas, the property currently includes major wetlands as well as significant environmental resources, identified by Tompkins County as Unique Natural Areas (UNAs), and Whereas, much of the property is in active agricultural use, and Whereas, the Trillium Woods Farm proposal as reviewed by the Planning Board would subdivide the land into 20 lots for housing, 16 of which would be an average of 14 acres each, with the others being 3.5 acres apiece, and Whereas, large, rural lots build in a high cost of land, incentivizing construction of large, expensive homes, which are unaffordable to most young families, working people, and senior citizens, and Whereas, conservation subdivisions cluster homes closer together, helping to preserve open space for natural, scenic, and agricultural purposes. With fewer road miles needed, more efficient use of utilities, especially where infrastructure is shared, conservation subdivisions can create relatively affordable housing while also protecting natural habitat and productive farmland, and Whereas, the Town’s Affordable and Workforce Housing Committee (AWHC) supports creative use of the land in the Town of Dryden in order to increase the supply of housing especially at moderate price levels, and Whereas, the AWHC has reviewed the Trillium Woods Farm sketch plan, now be it AWHC 2026-02-03 Final Resolved, that the AWHC urges the Planning Board to require the developer to cluster the housing units more compactly into a conservation subdivision, in order to provide housing on smaller parcels at the lowest possible cost, protect the wetlands, UNAs, and species on the NYS Protected Plant List on the property, and support active farming operations. 2nd C Geisler Roll Call Vote L Vargas-Mendez Yes C Dravis Yes C Geisler Yes M Murphy Yes M Robertson Yes Committee Priorities for 2026 Ideas for Committee priorities and actionable items for the current year were solicited at last month’s meeting. C Geisler noted that the State has a five-year housing plan that is well-funded ($85 million). The County has a strategic housing plan as well. If only for funding reasons, it seems appropriate that the Town should align its vision parallel to these by incorporating affordable housing into the zoning ordinance that currently being revised. The Committee has concerns that the ongoing zoning rewrite might favor large- lot/exclusionary zoning (e.g., 5+ acre minimums). Craig Anderson noted that requiring a house to sit on seven acres effectively eliminates affordable options, as the land cost alone becomes a barrier. Incentivized zoning would allow developers to trade increased density for affordability (e.g., allowing a 7-acre lot to be subdivided into two smaller, more affordable lots) if the soil supports it. With land costs thereby reduced, homes would be made more accessible to middle-income buyers. The current road frontage requirements of 250 feet are considered a bit excessive. Reducing this to 125 feet for smaller lots could significantly lower development costs. As a priority for 2026, the Committee intends to track the zoning rewrite process and weigh in substantively in support of its goals. C Anderson remarked that the ZAG, based on Nan Stolzenburg’s recommendations, is currently considering that all subdivisions in the Town, even a single lot, be required to follow conservation subdivision guidelines. Regardless of which direction this goes, you can incentivize zoning to make smaller lots, no matter the size of the subdivision. He acknowledged that he is a supporter of single-family housing. People in apartments move every four years. Those who rent houses move every seven years, and those who own houses move every 14 years. Diversifying housing types by promoting the inclusion of cottage communities and duplexes was raised as a goal for the Committee. There was a brief discussion regarding the need to standardize definitions for “cottage communities” versus “mobile home parks” to prevent discriminatory regulations against manufactured/modular housing through restrictive design standards (such as paving requirements or orientation rules) that do not apply to stick-built cottages. The Comprehensive Plan seems to have two contradictory goals. One is the preservation of the Town’s rural character. The other is the promotion of housing. It appears that preserving rural character has been elevated above housing development. The Committee needs to speak more forcefully about housing. C Anderson recommends starting with incentive zoning to encourage higher density lots. AWHC 2026-02-03 Final C Geisler mentioned the idea of land bank, putting a small tax (0.5%-1%) on a new building which feeds into a fund that could be used for purchasing land. C Anderson voiced that there is not enough growth in Dryden to really pull that off effectively. M Robertson added that Dryden does not have a lot of land that is going into foreclosure. Other Items Park Grove, a 10-acre project in the Village, currently has no concept plan yet due to high interest rates and construction costs. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 3:39 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Loren Sparling Deputy Town Clerk