Referred to: The Economic Development, Tourism, Housing, Planning and Transit Committee (Chairman Cahill and Legislators Archer, Corcoran, Delaune, Litts, Maio, and Uchitelle)

Legislator Abe Uchitelle offers the following:

WHEREAS, this resolution has been submitted by the County Executive on behalf of the Planning Department, and

WHEREAS, the availability of safe, decent and affordable housing for all residents of the County is vital to the social and economic sustainability of our community; and

WHEREAS, providing a range of affordability to support individuals of all ages and stages of life that: allows younger generations to access housing, enables seniors to securely age in place; and assists families with children to meet their housing needs; requires a public policy response from the County; and

WHEREAS, Ulster County is desirous of expanding the housing opportunities to examine lands no longer needed for County purposes for their suitability for workforce/mixed income housing as well as facilitating the return of tax foreclosed properties to productive use outside of the normal auction process; and

WHEREAS, Ulster County acquires title to numerous properties that are vacant, distressed, or not in productive use for the non-payment of taxes that the County then disposes of at auction in accordance with Article 11 of the New York State Real Property Tax Law; and 

WHEREAS, Article 16 of the New York State Not-for-Profit Corporation Law (the “Land Bank Act”) provides, as a primary focus, the use of the powers of a land bank to acquire real property that is tax delinquent, tax foreclosed, vacant and/or abandoned, eliminate the harms and liabilities caused by such properties, and facilitate their return to productive use; and 

WHEREAS, the number of land banks that can be created under the Land Bank Act is limited and new land banks require approval of the Empire State Development Corporation; and

WHEREAS, the Empire State Development Corporation heavily favors intermunicipal cooperation when determining which municipalities are approved for a land bank; and

WHEREAS, the Kingston City Land Bank (“KCLB”) is a New York State Authority created pursuant to the Land Bank Act; and

WHEREAS, the KCLB has the ability to expand the area under its jurisdiction in coordination with Ulster County as an entity that has tax foreclosure powers; and

WHEREAS, the KCLB, if expanded with appropriate organizational and financial structures suited to its expanded geographic area, would be able to facilitate the return of vacant, abandoned and tax-delinquent properties county-wide to productive use; now, therefore, be it 

RESOLVED, that the Ulster County Legislature hereby requests that the KCLB in collaboration with the County expand its jurisdiction to lands outside of the City of Kingston consistent with the goal of providing increased affordable housing opportunities, while recognizing the need for an appropriate organizational and financial structure that protects the interests of all parties; and, be it further,

RESOLVED, that the County Legislature requests the County Executive to inventory existing County-owned lands that no longer serve a county purpose to ascertain if they are suitable to meet the County’s housing goals,

and move its adoption.

ADOPTED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:

AYES:                    NOES:        

Passed Committee: Economic Development, Tourism, Housing, Planning and Transit on ____________.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

NONE