Massena trustees declare village as 'pro-housing community'

Bob Beckstead, Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.
·2 min read

Feb. 15—MASSENA — Village trustees have declared Massena as a "pro-housing community" that would place them among municipalities receiving special consideration for discretionary grants.

"This came from New York state and allows us to get funding — DRI, Affordable Housing, New York Forward," Mayor Gregory M. Paquin said.

Under the resolution, trustees said they would strive to streamline permitting for multifamily housing, affordable housing, accessible housing, accessory dwelling units, and supportive housing.

They also said they would adopt policies "that affirmatively further fair housing", incorporate regional housing needs into planning decisions, increase development capacity for resident uses, and enact polices "that encourage a broad range of housing development, including multifamily housing, affordable housing, accessible housing, accessory dwelling units, and supportive housing."

Village officials believe the lack of housing for New York residents of all ages and income levels "negatively impacts the future of New York state's economic growth and community well-being."

They also noted that the "housing crisis" has a negative impact at the regional and local level.

"We believe that every community must do their part to contribute to housing growth and benefit from the positive impacts a healthy housing market brings to communities," officials said.

They said supporting all types of housing production would bring multiple benefits, including increased housing access and choices for current and future residents. It would also provide integrated accessible housing options that meet the needs of people with sensory and mobility disabilities, bring economic opportunities and vitality to the communities, and allow workers at all levels to improve their quality of life by living closer to their employment opportunities, they said.

The resolution comes as a result of Gov. Kathleen C. Hochul's roundtable meeting of local leaders in the state Capitol.

Hochul had called together a group of town supervisors, city managers and mayors whose communities have already submitted the required documentation, and announced the first 20 to be certified as official "pro-housing communities." That means they've committed to building more housing, and expressed that commitment with a resolution passed by the town, village or city council or board, and demonstrated either a solid plan to grow housing stock in their municipality or actual growth over the last few years.

In return, those certified pro-housing communities will be put first in line for discretionary grants from the governor's office, things like the competitive Downtown Revitalization Initiative that gives cities or villages $10 million for projects to rebuild their urban cores, or the NY Forward grant that provides $4.5 million for similar uses to smaller municipalities.