Ulster County committee advances housing measures, sets public hearing on 50% county tax break for resale-restricted homes

The Ulster County Legislature's Housing & Transportation Committee on June 4 advanced several routine and policy items aimed at supporting housing stability and development in the county and set a public hearing on a state-authorized tax exemption for resale-restricted homes.

Most consequential for policy was the committee's vote to set a public hearing, July 14, 2026 at 7:05 p.m., on Local Law 10 of 2026, a proposal to opt Ulster County into a state-local property-tax option that would allow the county to reduce its portion of property tax by 50% for income-restricted homes sold by nonprofit developers. Sponsor Legislator Gman said the exemption would not require county construction funding and could stretch nonprofit subsidy dollars: "When a family buys in and they eventually sell down the line, they are not able to sell at the full market rate. They must sell to another income-qualified household at a restricted price," Gman said while urging the county to be an early adopter.

Committee members asked how the savings would vary by town; Gman said county share varies with local equalization and offered to provide a town-by-town spreadsheet showing estimated savings for an example assessed value.

Program updates and funding approvals: County planning staff and housing officials presented a multi-part briefing on housing stock, affordability pressures and county programs. Kyard Farmer, senior planner in the Ulster County Planning Department, described a tight housing market with vacancy rates generally below 5 percent, a work-from-home share that rose from about 6 percent in 2016 to roughly 20 percent in 2026, and a growing affordability gap. He summarized county efforts including the Housing Action Fund, rental-upgrade grants in partnership with Rupco, energy retrofit pilots, and a pause of regular Housing Action Fund rounds to prioritize an emergency-housing round.

The committee approved several funding and administrative resolutions by voice vote: a contract amendment for two additional SamS�ra bus-camera licenses (Resolution 320), a budget amendment accepting New York State rental supplement funds administered locally by Catholic Charities (Resolution 319), and county funding for a Kingston Housing Authority redevelopment that will replace a 30-unit project with about 100 units—a net gain of roughly 68 units—supported through the Housing Action Fund (Resolution 343). Director Doyle noted the project is part of a larger capital stack and the county's contribution is a portion of a much larger financing plan.

Operational issues flagged by members included staff capacity to underwrite and monitor complex capital stacks and the need to pair infrastructure investments (water/sewer) with housing projects to make sites shovel-ready. Doyle and planning staff said they are preparing RFPs for grants-management consulting and conducting a countywide water and wastewater capacity inventory to help prioritize infrastructure investments.

What happens next: The committee set the public hearing for Local Law 10 on July 14 and approved the funding resolutions so projects and rental supplements can move forward. Staff said they will provide follow-up materials including data sources and a town-specific tax-savings model for the 50% county exemption.