Warren County advances 2025 housing strategy; task force, technical assistance and outreach underway

Ethan, a Warren County planning staff member, told the Economic Growth and Development Committee on May 22 that the county's 2025 housing strategy is in active implementation and is built around three linked components: a housing task force, technical assistance and education and outreach.

The plan "falls in the housing strategy of our 3 pronged approach this year," Ethan said, noting the task force was convened in April and that meeting notes and next steps have been circulated. He said materials from the group's work are posted online and that another task force meeting is anticipated in July.

The technical-assistance strand has included planning and zoning workshops "with board members and then also more technical workshops with actual staff involved in the development review process," Ethan said. He added the county's "thriving hamlets" project is conducting deep dives into downtowns across Adirondack communities to identify infill and infrastructure opportunities that would support more housing.

Ethan said the third strand — education and outreach — will include an issue-awareness campaign for the general public, elected officials and policymakers. "We want to put more of a human face onto the topic of the housing crisis," he said, offering examples the outreach might highlight such as volunteer firefighters and teachers struggling to find housing in the county.

Speakers representing economic development also described exploratory meetings with private housing providers in recent weeks. An EDC representative said three types of developer interest have emerged: a senior-housing provider considering market entry, an entity proposing rehabilitation of distressed or "zombie" properties (with possible early work in Glens Falls), and a developer offering models for townhomes, condominiums, planned-unit developments and single-story transitional housing.

The EDC representative said the developers "had a copy of that housing study in their hand when they came to see us" and see the study as both a market signal and a planning tool. County staff said they will bring developers to local communities for further vetting as these exploratory conversations move toward potential projects.

Discussion only: committee members and staff raised no formal motions tied to the housing update during the meeting. Staff said they will return with materials and, where necessary, requests for committee approvals tied to particular grant applications or project-level actions.

Why it matters: committee members were urged to review the posted materials and to prepare for outreach and potential project proposals tied to the county's housing priorities.