Letters

I found your endorsement of one of the East Hampton Town Board members based upon her work on the “housing crisis” to be misplaced [“We Mark Our Ballot: East Hampton Town,” Editorial, October 30]. It’s true that the Town Board has spent a fair amount of time in the last several years discussing home size regulations and reviewing the ability to build accessory dwelling units, but there is very little that their new rules will do to make a dent in our town’s housing problem.

Residential affordability is an issue across the country since the pandemic, and more so in a community like ours, where the majority of homes are not owned by year-round residents. However, to vilify homeowners who rent out their homes part of the year would suggest that some on the Town Board don’t really understand what the main economic engine is here. I hope some were taking notes when one of the other board members, who is a lifelong resident, pointed out that his family has often rented their house out part time as a way of making ends meet.

Quite frankly, the town itself has played a significant role in this problem, as it has been buying up property for 25 years now with Community Preservation Fund revenues. This is a worthy cause, but they should admit that it clearly has reduced the amount of land for residential building.

Moreover, the town’s anemic attempt to build affordable housing should also be called out, as it has managed to build less than 100 units in the last decade, as the number of those on the list for this service has swelled to nearly 3,000.

A major part of the problem is local zoning and the town’s refusal to allow for more density. There has to be the ability to build at least three-story apartment buildings, given the lack of buildable land. Should this be everywhere? Of course not, but the town should finally have the sensibility to allow that in at least 5 percent of the town.

The new Community Housing Fund, hopefully, will help, but it’s still not clear how this money will even be used. It should be focused on building apartments for rent that are truly affordable and below the rates that recent projects are asking. The people chosen should be those who serve the community — teachers, health care workers, firemen — and seniors.

Instead of just criticizing, I’ll repeat a suggestion I’ve been making for years now: At least a quarter of the 97 acres from the Maidstone Gun Club should be put out for bid to an affordable housing developer, preferably one that uses prefab construction that is cheaper and quicker to install, and is also considered more sustainable and durable.

Brad Brooks

Springs