T-burg considers zoning changes to address housing

With the affordable housing market in Trumansburg experiencing low supply and high demand, the 150-year-old village could soon undergo a transformation. The village government has proposed new changes to its zoning laws, which would encourage development of affordable housing and allow for the construction of accessory dwelling units (ADUs).

Currently, there are 84 units of affordable housing for the 5,000 people who live in Ulysses. These units are spread across three developments — Juniper Manor I (tinyurl.com/2plw3r9p), Juniper Manor II (tinyurl.com/2knold45) and the Trumansburg Country Estates (tinyurl.com/2kuemvyo). These developments were all built prior to 2004, meaning that as home prices have risen, low-income residents have seen little investment in housing within their price range.

Ben Darfler is a village trustee and the chair of the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Revision Committee, which was established in 2018. Under Darfler’s leadership, the committee drafted the Trumansburg Comprehensive Plan, which called for revisions to the village’s zoning regulations to address affordable housing needs.

The comprehensive plan specifically mentioned housing for the elderly, who make up a large percentage of the Trumansburg population.

“There are really three goals that we have been focusing on,” Darfler said. “One is providing more affordable rental housing, another is more affordable for-sale housing, and the other one is preserving the small-town atmosphere.”

Under the proposals, housing developers will be able to receive incentives if at least 20% of their units qualify as affordable. If 20% of units on a development are affordable, the minimum area for a lot is relaxed by 20%, and developers can build the same number of units on a smaller lot.

The more affordable housing is included in a development, the greater the reduction of size and width requirements, to a maximum of 35%.

Nancy Tubbs, a Trumansburg resident, said she has watched the recordings of the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Revision Committee meetings and believes the zoning proposal prioritizes market-rate housing over affordable housing. Tubbs said that while she supports affordable housing expansion, she does not believe the zoning proposal aims to do it correctly.

“I’m happy if it’s not subsidized if people are willing to do it,” Tubbs said. “I didn’t really feel like they cared that much about affordable housing. It felt like they just wanted housing.”

In addition, Darfler said by adding ADUs — small, independent housing units located on the same lot as a preexisting development — the village can increase housing supply without having to build new developments.

“The reality is, and try as you might, it’s really hard to build a house for under about $300,000,” Darfler said. “One of the things that we started looking at to make it affordable for everybody is things like building a duplex and renting out one side and using that rent to help pay your mortgage. … As of right now, we can’t build more of that.”

Many ADUs are used as bed-and-breakfast or Airbnb space to add to the property owner’s income. However, a 2008 study by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development concluded that ADUs are an effective way to increase affordable housing supply, rather than constructing entirely new developments (tinyurl.com/2mnrraxy).

“They are an inexpensive way for municipalities to increase their housing supply while also increasing their property tax base,” the study said. “By providing affordable housing options for low- and moderate-income residents, communities can retain population groups that might otherwise be priced out of the housing market.”

Krys Cail is a local resident who holds a masters degree in regional planning. Cail said affordable housing is something that the Trumansburg area needs, but she believes that the provisions of the zoning proposal are not the best way to get there.

“There’s a tremendous need for affordable units; there’s no question about that,” Cail said. “Affordability means some combination of competent, affordable housing development and permissive zoning arrangements. It seems more likely to me that the opportunity to do an ADU in a backyard would be exploited by individual homeowners who had extra capital and could put that capital to use in an ADU.”

Cail said that an increase in ADUs could have the opposite effect of what is stated in the zoning proposals, as ADUs could be used as a way for homeowners to get more money rather than to provide affordable housing.

“There tends to be a sort of conflation between what is imagined being possible and what the market is inclined to assign capital to in order to actually create on the ground,” Cail said.

Darfler said the committee is encouraging community feedback on the zoning proposal and has heard from residents both in support of and against the proposal.

“We’ve heard from people who are in favor of it because they want more housing generally,” Darfler said. “I think there’s some folks who have a concern about density and change in the village, and I understand that — we all kind of buy into a vision of a place when we move. I anticipate we’ll have changes to the proposal before it goes to the village board for a vote.”

Trumansburg Connection appears every Wednesday in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com.