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Residents urge alternatives to eminent domain; Housing Committee proposes two-year HomeShare pilot
Summary
During public comment residents urged the Board to avoid eminent domain for the Red Hook Boat Club and offered mediation. The Housing Committee requested a two-year HomeShare pilot to match homeowners with people in need of housing; Hudson River Housing expressed interest but lacks staff capacity.
At the start of the June 24 Town Board meeting several residents used the public comment period to urge different approaches to local disputes and housing.
Resident Elliot Shrifman, identifying himself as a professional mediator, offered his services pro bono to help resolve the dispute between the Town and the Red Hook Boat Club. Resident Roxanne Fischer urged the Board to pause and consider private-public partnership alternatives rather than using eminent domain, asserting that "Supervisor McKeon’s assertion that there is no option other than ownership is purposely orchestrating an impasse, not negotiation." Roland Page criticized the Supervisor’s prior conduct and expressed concern about legal fees.
Separately, David Sokol, chair of the Housing Committee, accompanied by Trish Dantzic and Van Scott, asked the Board to establish a two-year HomeShare pilot program. The committee described HomeShare as a matching program pairing homeowners with available space and people needing housing in exchange for below-market or no rent and agreed-upon household support or task sharing. David Sokol said Hudson River Housing is interested in conducting such a program but currently lacks the staff capacity to run it. Supervisor McKeon said the program is something the Board should explore.
What’s next: Public comment items are part of the record; any Board action on the Red Hook Boat Club dispute or on a HomeShare pilot would require future agenda items and formal votes.
