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RECAP urges county help as NIMBYism and lack of trust fund slow projects
Summary
RECAP told the task force that Orange County lacks a county Housing Trust Fund and that local opposition (NIMBYism) slows projects; RECAP recommended including municipalities and neighbors in planning to build acceptance.
Michele McKeon, chief operating officer of RECAP, told the Housing Task Force that a county-level Housing Trust Fund would be an important tool and that Orange County currently does not have one.
McKeon said development takes years and described pushback from neighbors as a recurring obstacle. She cited the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative (ESSHI) project in Newburgh — an 11-studio development that first received a grant in 2018 — as an example of a multi-year effort that required local partnership to finish. McKeon said involving neighbors in outreach eased resistance to a separate 116 Carson project, turning earlier critics into supporters.
Sparrow Tobin, a task-force member, said affordable housing needs are not limited to Middletown and listed towns such as Warwick and Goshen as also facing shortages. Charles Quinn, RECAP’s CEO, and McKeon said RECAP often encounters Not-in-My-Backyard opposition and stressed the need to show project benefits — jobs, tenants who shop locally and contribute tax revenue — to reduce resistance.
The task force did not adopt a formal policy at the meeting but Chairwoman Genesis Ramos said the group will work to drive county-level conversations, recognizing home-rule limits for municipalities.
