Government

Southold Town considers new ways to enhance affordable housing registry

Southold Town may beef up its Housing Registry with more information to assess affordable housing needs.

The town currently has 78 files in the registry, which includes couples and families, Southold government liaison Denis Noncarrow said at Tuesday’s Town Board work session.

The town housing registry gathers information about residents who seek affordable housing opportunities like rental properties, home ownership, housing grants and loans and other forms of assistance, according to the town’s website.

Mr. Russell said the registry used to be updated regularly, but people lost interest or got discouraged.

Mr. Noncarrow, working with Housing Advisory Commission chair Rona Smith, recommends that the town conduct a campaign over the summer, using mailers and advertisements to encourage people to send in information.

The commission also wants to reconfigure the registry’s application so that it would have an initial part for basic information and a second part when an affordable housing opportunity arises, so the town can see if there are any changes or add new names to the list, he said.

The supervisor said there have been some changes in terms of affordable housing, as the town recently got a check for $400,000 from the Estates at Royalton subdivision in Mattituck and anticipates buyout provisions from the developers of a 55-and-over community in Cutchogue to be added to its housing fund.

In the past, stumbling blocks toward affordable housing have come down to cost of acquiring land and the lack of infrastructure in terms of sewers, he said.

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