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CC Land Trust’s affordable housing plans move ahead
By Anahi Rodriguez | Manor Ink
HOMES The CCLT plans to construct a two-family apartment building, shown in this sketch, on what is currently a parking lot on Meadow Street. Provided graphic
Livingston Manor, NY – “The numbers don’t work anymore for people – we want everyone to have a piece of the American dream,” said Linda C. Hartley, chair of the Pro Housing Committee of the Town of Rockland and a member of the Catskills Community Land Trust. She was referring to the high cost of available housing.
CCLT is currently planning to build two new affordable rental housing units in Livingston Manor. Hartley explained that many people in the county struggle to find affordable places to live because people from outside the area are investing in homes resulting in a lack of housing stock.
Bruce Pollock, a local engineer who is also a member of CCLT, added that workers find it increasingly difficult to find housing in the area, so they sometimes often travel an hour or more to work in the county.
“Property has become a commodity, and because of that, people are investing in it and driving all the prices up,” Pollock said. “Regular people can’t afford homes anymore.” He explained that their group as well as others have recognized the problem. “We want to see if there’s something we can do about it.”
The CCLT team has developed an innovative model designed to take advantage of the availability of local timber stands and saw mills, and they hope to engage BOCES students to help with the construction. “The more we can do locally keeps the costs down and engages the community in our work,” Pollock said. He envisions that the first two units will be the model for additional projects.
TWO UNITS CCLT members, from left, Bruce Pollock, Alys Mann, Linda Hartley and Gwen Schantz in the parking lot on Meadow Lane that is the site of the group’s first housing project. Provided photo
Each of the two units will be 670 square feet, with two bedrooms, one bath and highly energy efficient.
As for funding the project, the group estimates its cost will run in the neighborhood of $350,000. CCLT has received an initial grant of $98,000 from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation. This will allow them to purchase the land from the Town of Rockland as well as continue with preparatory planning work with the objective of beginning construction late this year.
The CCLT has also been established as a nonprofit entity eligible to receive donations, and thus the organization intends to seek support from other public and private sources. “We are in this together, no one is coming in to solve it for us. But together we can make a difference,” Hartley said.
For more information about CCLT or to get involved, visit catskillscommunitylandtrust.org.