Columbia County gets $2 million for in-law apartments

The grant was awarded as part of the states Plus One ADU program, which provides local governments and nonprofit housing organizations with funding to build new or restore existing accessory dwelling units.

Accessory dwelling units are smaller, independent housing units located on the same property as a single-family home, and are also referred to as in-law apartments or granny flats, according to the American Planning Association.

The units can be detached, or located internally in the garage, basement, or upper level of a home.

The Columbia County Housing Task Force, Columbia County Economic Development Corporation, and county officials and staff collaborated on the application for the grant.

“On behalf of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, I would like to thank the Office of Homes and Community Renewal for the opportunity to deliver this program to our residents,” said Matt Murrell, chairman of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors in a statement. “We are also very excited to partner with RUPCO, and welcome their experience and expertise. The Plus One ADU grant is the most recent addition to the County’s strategy to address housing affordability.”

The county is also partnering with housing nonprofit organization RUPCO, based in Kingston, who will administer the grant.

RUPCO previously administered $125,000 grants to property owners in Ulster County for the construction or redevelopment of accessory dwelling units as part of a $1.75 million grant from the state Homes and Community Renewal agency.

To receive funding for the grants, homeowners will be required to fill out an application and comply with income limits and zoning criteria. In Ulster County, the maximum income limit for a family four to be eligible for a grant was $112,400, according to the RUPCO website.

Applicants will also have to agree to not use the unit as a short-term rental, and keep rents at an affordable rate for a minimum of 10 years.

Accessory dwelling units provide more affordable housing options for renters, and a source of supplemental income for homeowners, said Brenda Adams, Canaan town supervisor and co-chair of the Columbia County Housing Task Force in a statement.

“We are thrilled that Columbia County was chosen to participate in the Plus One ADU program,” she said.

The apartments are a low-impact solution to develop housing, said Ron Knott, Stuyvesant town supervisor in a statement.

“In our rural towns and villages, which face many of the same affordability issues as cities but lack municipal infrastructure, developing housing can be difficult,” he said. “ADUs are a low-impact solution to that challenge.”

The housing units also give communities a way to preserve open spaces and address the need for housing, said Chris Brown, Columbia County Economic Development Corporation Housing coordinator in a statement.

“Balancing the preservation of the open spaces that make Columbia County such an attractive destination with the housing needs of our essential rural workforce is key to the County Housing Task Force’s efforts,” he said. “ADUs are a tool that allow communities to address both.”