Talk Is Cheap

Residents, lawmakers, business owners and the leaders of a multitude of nonprofits on the South Fork have been talking for years about ways to solve the housing crisis. While it’s been on the forefront of everyone’s minds and agendas, sadly, it seems, very little has been accomplished.

NIMBYism, bureaucracy and, perhaps most importantly, a lack of a cohesive vision about the way forward to provide the most affordable housing to those who need it most — and, honestly, the daunting price tag to do so — have all stood in the way.

At last, it’s time to turn all the talk into concrete action.

In November, residents of East Hampton and Southampton towns will vote to create Community Housing Fund programs in the two towns. The Southampton Town Board approved legislation authorizing the ballot initiative last week; their counterparts in East Hampton were expected to do the same this week.

Modeled after the Community Preservation Fund, the CHF will implement a half-percent transfer tax on most real estate sales, providing the towns with a coffer of cash to be used to provide affordable housing to those who need it. Estimates are that the tax could collect as much as $10 million per year in Southampton and nearly that in East Hampton.

But it’s about so much more than money. The CHF programs and accompanying plans to combat the housing crisis will offer clarity to both local lawmakers and the general public. It will provide a direction, a framework of what types of housing will be needed and a clear path on how to provide it. No longer will the conversation offer pie-in-the-sky approaches to addressing the issue — instead, a clear framework will be formulated, a solid plan forward to be implemented.

Certainly, the housing crisis — the tendrils of which entwine so many other issues: traffic, the mass exodus of families from the area, employee shortages, overcrowded housing, and so many others — will not be resolved overnight; it will take years to make a dent. But the CHF is the community’s best hope to shape and implement a plan to make the South Fork an inclusive region once again, with a place for everyone to live comfortably and with a sense of belonging.

The time for talk is over. Voters need to let their leaders know in November that they are ready for action, for the towns to make affordable housing a priority — not just in meeting rooms and during public hearings, but in the real world, and in their own neighborhoods.