New Approaches Needed In the Housing Crisis

The South Fork has a housing crisis. Just ask almost any employer or a prospective employee who has considered moving to the region for a job. Places to live are all but unavailable. So far, attempts by local government to find solutions have failed to meet demand. 

After a good start some years ago and then a period of dormancy, East Hampton Town may soon see at least one new affordable complex — in Amagansett. But the number of units planned is small and would probably mean little for single workers. They certainly would not put a dent in this season’s needs. Regulations already in the town code to allow the construction of so-called accessory apartments were well intentioned but no magic bullet. Obviously much more will have to be done, perhaps tapping public funding in new and creative ways.

In Southampton, Supervisor Jay Schneiderman has taken up the challenge, something he dabbled in while in the Suffolk Legislature. One of his ideas is to seek underutilized houses that might have enough space for an apartment and then to find a way to provide property owners with incentives or help to make conversions. He has set a tentative goal of having 25 units in process by the end of the year. Ideally, these apartments would be earmarked for Southampton residents now living in illegal or substandard housing and for those, like schoolteachers, who do vital local work.

One thing we would like to see is for the incorporated villages in Southampton and East Hampton Towns to get involved. For too long, officials have been content to see second-floor apartments converted to offices and to expect solutions to the housing problem to come from the towns. This is shortsighted. Sag Harbor has the beginning of a housing fund, but hasn’t done much to prove it is up to the task. East Hampton Village does not appear to have paid attention to the housing crisis at all. In the interest of sharing the burden, if adequate places to live are to be created, the central commercial districts must be used as well.

Perhaps in the area of wishful thinking, much has been made lately of micro-houses. These are the cute, sometimes mobile structures that are generally far smaller than allowed by local zoning codes. To the extent that wastewater from numerous tiny houses on existing residential lots could be adequately handled, they might help chip away at the pressing need — as long as they do not become de facto summertime hotels.

Every unit that can be added to the affordable supply matters. All potential sources should be considered.