Creative Solutions for the Hamptons Housing Market
How can innovative approaches alleviate the Hamptons housing crisis?
The Covid-19 virus has precipitated a massive outward migration from New York City to rural locales like Southampton and East Hampton, further intensifying an already tight and unaffordable housing and rental housing market. This phenomena is hardly new however, as many areas have experienced similar growth and ultra competitive housing markets in the last decade; necessitating some creative solutions:
Cohousing development. Image credit-cohousing.org
CO-HOUSING
Among the ideas for tackling the problem is ‘cohousing’, which is usually defined as semi-communal housing consisting of a cluster of private homes and a shared community space (as for cooking or laundry facilities). “Households have independent incomes and private lives, but neighbors collaboratively plan and manage community activities and shared spaces. The legal structure is typically a homeowner association or housing cooperative. Community activities feature regularly-scheduled shared meals, meetings, and workdays. Neighbors gather for parties, games, movies, or other events. Cohousing makes it easy to form clubs, organize child and elder care, and carpool…Cohousing facilitates interaction among neighbors and thereby provides social, practical, economic, and environmental benefits. “ (wikipedia) An added benefit of designed intentional living is the ability to save money on resource and energy consumption, with the easier possibility of creating microgrids and community solar farms. This model has been successfully adopted in places all over the world and also here in the US. On eastern Long Island, new zoning codes would have to be established to allow added density of single or multi-family housing, as well as new infrastructure for sewage management. Can it be done? Check out the official co-housing website for more information on this topic.
Pocket neighborhood. Image credit - pocketneighborhoods.net
POCKET NEIGHBORHOODS
Similar to the concept of ‘co-housing’ are ‘pocket neighborhoods’, which function like larger neighborhoods but usually in miniature, clustered around a shared common space with clearly defined boundaries - like a park, alley, pond, point of land, etc. Traffic thruways and driveways are usually excluded to make the area walkable, and the housing units are usually under 2000 square feet, creating an intimate and friendly atmosphere for inhabitants and visitors. Pocket neighborhoods work especially well as affordable housing. For our local situation, zoning is again an issue for the establishment of this model. “Most towns and cities have zoning regulations that limit housing to detached, single family homes on large private lots with a street out front. Forward-thinking planners are seeing pocket neighborhoods as a way to increase housing options and limit sprawl, while preserving the character of existing neighborhoods.” (from the pocket neighborhoods official website)
RENTAL EQUITY / HOUSING DIVIDENDS
A unique residential model in the rental market is known as rental equity or housing dividends, which works like this: Residents fulfill commitments in their lease agreement, like paying rent on time and helping to maintain the property, and in doing so, earn financial credits they can exchange for cash after five years…Dividend housing creates pathways for residents to build equity without buying and selling property. It also flips the traditional property management model by prioritizing resident input, with the understanding that residents who fulfill their lease commitments, help take care of the property and attend monthly meetings are contributing to the financial success of their housing and quality of the living environment.” (From Reasons To Be Cheerful). There are some drawbacks to these ideas, such that they cant serve extremely low-income residents without government subsidies, and its not practical for temporary renters on their way to buying. See Renting Partnerships for more info.
MICRO HOMES
The growing ‘tiny house’ trend could do much to alleviate housing needs on the east end. By allowing homes 1000 square feet or under to be built on certain lots or in zoned areas, truly affordable housing can be achieved for in need workforce, young couples, independent seniors and the like. With the market for sustainable, off-grid prefabricated structures now in maturity it is possible to rapidly create the kind of smaller environmentally sustainable communities we need.