Sullivan County 

Association of Supervisor’s

To the editor:

Dear Gov. Hochul,

The Association of Supervisor’s of Sullivan County voted unanimously on April 3, 2024, to send this letter to you strongly opposing the proposed Faith -Based Affordable Housing Act.

As elected officials and citizens of New York State we strongly oppose all laws in place or proposed (such as this one) that strip local authorities of Home Rule as defined in Article IX, Sec 2 of the Constitution of the State of New York.

We understand that there may be a lack of affordable housing in NYS, especially in NYC, however, we are most concerned about the environmental impact. It is apparent that the people who wrote this bill have no concept of how its passage would affect the rural areas of the state. (like Sullivan County) as they are proposing “generally 30 dwelling units per acre for small municipalities with less than 50,000 people,” and “Full environmental reviews under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) would not be required so long as the landowner submits the following certifications: that a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) has been completed, that soil and water testing has been completed pursuant to Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) standards, and that a qualified environmental professional attests that the building will not violate state wetland or drinking water laws.” This proposed law eviscerates the adherence to the current New York State Environmental Quality Review Act.

This proposal is unsustainable for our rural area. How do small municipalities like ours provide services to a large high-density development of thirty dwelling units per acre? A ten-acre parcel could result in three hundred dwelling units, and this could grow exponentially from there resulting in a huge influx of residents in need of services. That is not just one small development. Services such as water, sewer, fire, ambulance, schools, roads, and transportation, and refuse hauling, would all need to be upgraded. Our small towns and villages are not prepared at all for such massive developments. It would be impossible, as well as cost prohibitive, for our towns and villages to build the infrastructure required to support this number of new residents. We would have no protection against the loss of air and water quality and the additional burdens on public services.

What about the protection of our open spaces? We are not just talking about a few little buildings here. We are talking about a growing population of people changing the nature of our surroundings including clear cutting of forests, littering, less habitat for indigenous species of plants and animals, an impact on agriculture, and huge increases in traffic. Additionally, Sullivan County cherishes our natural environment which is essential to support the substantial and still growing tourism industry. Meanwhile New York State’s population is shrinking. This “urban sprawl” due to overpriced housing in the metropolitan area should not become a burden for small towns and villages in the rest of the state.

Sullivan County has also been a huge agricultural producer for generations and particularly since the pandemic, it is imperative that we do everything that we can to protect our Nation’s food supply. Allowing the amount of development that would be possible with this type of legislation would negatively affect that!

We urge you instead, as Governor, to help support existing local Zoning laws rather than allowing rules that override our local Zoning Laws such as the one proposed here. Local Municipalities understand the needs of their current and future residents best and are perfectly capable of creating the conditions that support appropriate housing opportunities.