Goshen ?

Town of Goshen is indeed doing unusual things By Douglas Cunningham Times Herald-Record dcunningham@th-record.com I'm sitting across from Honey Bernstein on one of those baking hot days this summer. She's the Town of Goshen supervisor, and she's more than a bit upset with me. We could say angry; yes, angry would cover it. Some weeks ago, I wrote a series of columns about development and land use. The e-mail and calls poured in. I had reiterated my opposition to large-lot zoning. I said that communities across the region latched onto supposed "overdevelopment" as an excuse to enact a building moratorium. Then, these towns frittered away months and even years as they extended the building halt again and again. I said that this usually ended with towns changing the zoning, something that amounted to an improper taking, a seizure of property rights. And, at bottom, I said that this fascination with big lots and zoning changes amounted to the creation of exclusivity – a skewed half-million-dollar market in which ordinary working stiffs can't live anymore. Goshen, among many towns, enacted a moratorium, then did a new master plan and zoning code. Bernstein said that I oversimplified in my criticism. She told me I ignored the many positive things Goshen is doing in its new zoning code. Hence the invitation to her office, overlooking a parking lot where heat rippled from the asphalt. I drank the proffered coffee as she, building and zoning inspector Neal Halloran and I pored over maps, sketches and plans for new developments. I didn't change my mind on the fundamental issues. But I can report that Goshen is indeed doing unusual and intriguing things as it tries to preserve some open space. And this is happening as the town balances on the edge of a housing juggernaut. Here are some of the town's initiatives: Developers are required to put the housing on half of the available land in the parcel, thus preserving open space in larger chunks. The town seeks to use public trails to link new developments with existing parts of town. The town is planning to act as a clearinghouse, an agent, if you will, to transfer development rights to builders who want more density, from landowners who want to preserve the space, like farmers. The beauty of this is open space is preserved without tapping public coffers. Houses in some developments, though on large lots, will be close to the roadway, making the overall appearance more like a village. The town has designated areas for higher-density and commercial development, and is allowing developers to include some modest commercial space in logical common areas. Voluntary provisions for affordable housing, and for greater than 50 percent open space, can lead to higher density. In the so-called hamlet areas, 10 percent of the new housing must be geared toward the affordable end. Bernstein and Halloran showed me real plans, with real projects, already going through the approval process under the new code. Trails link developments; tree lines are preserved. Housing is grouped together. I cannot say whether this will work. I still think Orange County is facing a heck of a problem in providing housing even for someone who makes $50,000 a year. I think there's been a lack of leadership, at multiple levels, in addressing this problem. But that problem likely can't be solved in the Town of Goshen alone. The town's identified its issues and is doing some slick things, and that merits some admiration.