Southampton residents don’t need platitudes about affordable housing from our candidates in the upcoming special election. Rather, our candidates need to tell us, in detail, what exactly they will do if elected to address the crisis — and we, in turn, need to determine for ourselves whether that approach aligns with our values. I endeavor to do that here.
We all know the importance of affordable housing to our community; I won’t waste words restating the obvious. I will note, however, that while there are approximately 2,000 people on the Housing Authority’s waiting list, we have only built about 82 units of affordable housing (rental or owner-occupied) in the last 10 years. History shows us where our collective priorities lie and how ineffective we have been.
The model we are using isn’t working. We rely on outsiders to propose developments on tracts of land they have chosen and that field public opposition. Our Housing Authority valiantly builds or repurposes what they can. We remain passive and reactive. The process is costly and time-consuming, and it gets us nowhere.
Our affordable housing needs require us to be proactive, creative and diligent. We need to make affordable housing a central component of the update to our Comprehensive Plan, laying out our vision and plan for decades to come.
We need to review our real estate holdings and existing land offerings for purchase, focusing our efforts on all areas of the town, not just points west of the canal, and rank potential sites for development based on their proximity to business districts and transportation hubs, propensity to mitigate traffic concerns and ease congestion, and environmental sensitivity.
We need to work with local developers to build on the sites we have chosen rather than on ones chosen for us. We need to be an active participant in the Pro-Housing Community Program. We need to repurpose existing inventory in earnest.
We need to relax zoning restrictions to make the development of affordable housing less onerous.
We need to vigorously support local businesses in their efforts to build workforce housing.
We need to continue to support accessible dwelling unit programs and provide incentives for their development.
We need to work with state and county agencies to improve bus and train service, and to expand local shuttle access throughout the town.
This list is non-exhaustive. There’s always more that we can do. But, first and foremost, we need to take the reins when it comes to determining our own future. We won’t be able to resolve the crisis overnight. But we should, at the very least, take bold action today that will put Southampton on the path to resolving the crisis once and for all.
John Leonard
Hampton Bays
Leonard is the Democratic candidate for Town Council — Ed.
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