Rhinebeck sets May 12 public hearing on proposed workforce housing local law

The Rhinebeck Town Board voted to introduce a proposed local law to create workforce/affordable housing standards and set a public hearing for Monday, May 12 at 6:05 p.m. The resolution (as listed in the meeting materials as 2025-126) passed unanimously during the board's regular meeting.

Board discussion during the introduction focused on definitions, site access, parking and assurances about school transportation. Board members said the draft combines two separate state statutes that address “affordable housing” and a distinct “workforce housing” framework and that the proposal incorporates both approaches rather than using only one statutory vehicle. The draft sets household income bands running from 30% to 80% of area median income and includes a commitment to keep units designated as workforce housing in perpetuity in section 5(h) of the draft law.

Town board members asked staff to confirm a short list of practical items before final adoption. The plan on file lists parking at 1.5 spaces per dwelling; the plan submitted for the site shows 135 parking spaces on the site plan, and board members noted adding more parking would change impervious-surface calculations and require a new review. The draft identifies the access point as from Rhine Cliff Road with egress only onto Aster Drive; the board asked staff to confirm the classification of the access (the draft calls it a private driveway) and whether public-road status is needed for services.

A recurring request from board members was a written commitment from the Rhinebeck Central School District or an intermunicipal agreement confirming bus service to any proposed development. A board member said the town’s earlier preference for building public roads on comparable projects was intended to ensure school-bus service; staff reported that a district official had met with town staff and that an email was obtained, but multiple members requested a formal letter or intermunicipal agreement in writing before the board adopts the law.

Board members asked that clarifications on ingress/egress language and the formal bus-service confirmation be available to the public before the May 12 hearing. The board otherwise accepted the resolution formally introducing the law and scheduling the public hearing; the motion was moved by Dana and seconded by Allen (as recorded in the meeting transcript), and the board recorded the motion as passing unanimously without a roll call.

The public hearing on May 12 will be the first opportunity for neighbors and other interested parties to comment formally on the specifics of the draft, including the income breakdown, the parking standard, and the permanence provision in section 5(h).