Southampton Town Taps Weir To Lead New Affordable Housing Office

Southampton Town has hired Diana Weir to head its newly created Office of Housing and Community Development, charged with creating new affordable housing opportunities in the municipality.

Ms. Weir, 73, who lives in East Hampton and most recently served as commissioner of housing and human services in Brookhaven Town, was tapped last week to head the new office, which will operate under the town’s Department of Land Management.

In her new role, Ms. Weir will earn $100,000 annually and be tasked with managing several existing initiatives—such as the buyer benefit and the Community Development Block Grant programs—but will also be leaned on to expand the availability of affordable housing opportunities throughout the municipality.

Created under this year’s town budget by Supervisor Jay Schneiderman, the Office of Housing and Community Development was specifically tasked with building the town’s nearly barren affordable housing stock through the construction of new units and implementing programs that entice homeowners to establish rental apartments in their houses.

Prior to working for Brookhaven Town, Ms. Weir served for a decade as executive vice president of the Long Island Housing Partnership, an organization that develops affordable housing, revitalizes low-income communities, counsels first-time home buyers and those facing foreclosure, and provides financial assistance. She also was a member of the Southampton Business Housing Initiative Corporation, which she credits for building a pair of affordable homes several years ago on 3 acres off Merchants Path, dubbed “Sagaponack Woods.”

“It’s very nice—it’s never destroyed the universe,” Ms. Weir said in a joking tone while referring to that project. “These places are very successful. They blend right into the neighborhood.”

In her new role, Ms. Weir said she wants to explore ways to create affordable housing in Southampton, explaining that she will work with town staff, the Southampton Housing Authority and, perhaps most important, residents. “They do have to live in the community … so we want to have as much community input as possible,” she said.

As part of her work, Ms. Weir said she would like to focus on offering housing opportunities for recent college graduates and senior citizens who are looking to downgrade or move to assisted living facilities. She said she will also work to remove the unfair stigma typically associated with the construction of workforce housing, which many automatically view as low-income housing.

Earlier this year, the Town Board agreed to rezone property on North Phillips Avenue in Speonk so that a 38-unit affordable housing complex could eventually be built there as part of a partnership involving the Southampton Housing Authority and Georgica Green Ventures, a for-profit company that builds affordable housing. Prior to that, the town approved a 28-unit apartment complex in Tuckahoe though ground has not yet been broken on that affordable housing project also sponsored by the Southampton Housing Authority.