- By Dan Veaner
- Around Town
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Affordable housing is a buzz word in Lansing recently. The County wants between 3,000 and 3,500 new houses over the next ten years. While Lansing is the fastest growing community in the county, growth is nowhere near that dramatic. About 30 homes are built in Lansing per year. The County wants that number to go up to 100. Currently the County is considering contributing money to Lansing's sewer project with the idea that it will jump-start development in the Town. Meanwhile many residents are concerned about taxes driving them out of their homes, and new home buyers are hard-pressed to find affordable homes in the County.
"The purpose of the workshops is to start a conversation, or a dialogue between community members and Better Housing," says Munro. "This open dialogue will help foster a better relationship between those involved in bringing homes within reach, or affordable housing, to Lansing and the people of the town. In turn, we believe that this good relationship will lessen the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) reaction to future proposed projects."
Better Housing for Tompkins County, Inc. manages affordable rentals, provides financial assistance to first-time home buyers, helps with repairs to existing homes and provides cottages for seniors on their children's properties. They are also an advocacy group for affordable housing. They want to create "housing advocates" around the County through workshops they are holding in Lansing and other communities including Etna, Groton, Dryden and Newfield.
The conversation was certainly lively as residents expressed a variety of concerns. Ed LaVigne came as a concerned citizen and a member of the Lansing Community Council and Lansing Older Adults Program (LOAP) He noted that while costs here are high, salaries tend to be low. Dave Stoyell expressed a concern that his church (LUMC) is seeing its congregation aging while younger potential churchgoers can not afford to live here. Beth Holbert said she is a senior in danger of losing her home, while Lisa Caseveto said she is having a hard time finding a house she can afford here. Judy Wilson had a similar concern, saying she was representing her single daughter. Around 14,000 people commute to Tompkins County to work because affordable housing is so hard to find here.
Deputy Town Supervisor Bud Shattuck said he came because the Town Council is beginning to consider affordable housing in the context of Town zoning and the sewer project. Councilwoman Connie Wilcox had attended an earlier session. The group expressed concerns that ranged from a population growing too fast for the capacity of local schools to insuring that Lansing continues to be a diverse community where people of all incomes coexist.
Munro told the group that 30% of a family's income should go toward a house, including utilities. She defined "affordable housing" as a home that doesn't force families to skimp on necessities, that is safe with quality living spaces and a reasonable distance to necessities such as grocery stores. She noted that the median income in Tompkins County is $43,300, while the income needed to afford the median single family home valued at $140,000 is $54,888.
She said owning your own house boosts confidence, pride in your home, gives you a stake in the community and is responsible for better work or school performance. They want "housing advocates" to get involved in paving the way for affordable housing in Lansing, speaking in public meetings and being involved in the review process for new homes.
"The feedback that we received the other night and our previous workshop will help us in the future when working with developers who are interested in Lansing," says Munro. "We will be able to say to people interested in partnering with us to build more homes that 'this is what concerns Lansing, this is what they would like to see,' and have that be incorporated into the design and plans. The long term goal of the workshop is for future homes within reach be built with the community's support in as smooth a process as possible."
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