Curbing the costs of home sweet home

Affordable housing. It’s a touchy subject. Just look at the controversy surrounding the subject in the village of Millerton, where a proposed affordable housing development has been mired in a thicket of unmet deadlines, empty escrow accounts, half-finished reviews, unfulfilled grant requirements and an outraged community. At the end of it all sits an empty lot seven years in the making.

It’s not exactly encouraging, but that hasn’t put off the neighboring town of Pine Plains. In fact, after years of conversation, Pine Plains is now ready to brave the oft-hostile world of affordable housing. Hostile, perhaps, because of the frequently misguided fear that affordable housing equates to low-income housing or welfare housing. It means neither. Affordable housing is just that — housing that people living and working within a community can afford to rent or own.

The new task force’s liaison with the Town Board, town Councilwoman Sandra David, described it as housing for “middle-income people who cannot afford to live in the town they grew up in or that they work in.” Affordable Housing Task Force Chairman Jack McQuade went a step further; he said the housing will provide shelter for “town employees, rescue workers, firefighters, teachers and nurses — those people who want to live in Pine Plains but can’t afford to.” Sounds reasonable enough.

The newly formed Pine Plains Affordable Housing Task Force is the vehicle that will help the town navigate its way toward its final destination — a Pine Plains that provides inclusive housing for its community, no matter one’s income.

The committee will have to do what it can to: 1.) figure out the needs for affordable housing within the town; 2.) decide exactly what “affordable” means for Pine Plains residents; 3.) reckon how to provide affordable housing to those who qualify; 4.) make a feasible plan to construct affordable housing within a reasonable amount of time; and 5.) execute its plans.

The fact the town took the step to form the Affordable Housing Task Force in the first place is a good sign it’s taking the plight of those who need moderately priced housing in Pine Plains seriously. That the committee has jumped into action so swiftly, meeting a number of times since its formation in January, provides further encouragement.

The task force, which is strictly advisory and reports to the Town Board, is working with the Dutchess County Department of Planning and Development, as well as planning consultant Bonnie Franson. While it’s just at the beginning of its journey its goals are clear — to provide housing to those who want to live in Pine Plains but at this point, in today’s economy, can’t afford to do so.

We wish the group well in its endeavors and again applaud the Town Board for its foresight in assigning the task force to its duties — and for making them a priority. We also hope residents will take the time to learn about the group’s recommendations as they are put forth, rather than rely on speculation, which so often leads people astray. Hopefully the process will be open and informative and not nearly as rancorous as it was for Millerton. Affordable housing is too important a topic to get mixed up in a whirlwind and swept to sea by the tempestuous waves of trepidation and turmoil.