DELIVERING A MORE AFFORDABLE HUDSON VALLEY: CONGRESSMAN PAT RYAN TOURS NEW ULSTER COUNTY HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS INITIATED DURING TIME AS COUNTY EXECUTIVE

Delivering a More Affordable Hudson Valley: Congressman Pat Ryan Tours New Ulster County Housing Developments Initiated During Time as County Executive

As County Executive Congressman Ryan helped spearhead several housing projects across Ulster County, including at Golden Hill and Willow Landing in Kingston

Ryan has long led the fight against the housing affordability crisis in the Hudson Valley; his first legislation introduced of the 119th Congress included his comprehensive Housing Affordability Agenda

There are 247 units of new housing between Golden Hill and Willow Landing alone - as well as numerous resident amenities, including on-site childcare and mental health services

KINGSTON, NY - Last week, Congressman Pat Ryan - a fifth-generation Ulster County native - toured new housing developments in his hometown of Kingston that he spearheaded as County Executive.

Ryan has long believed that cutting through red tape and building more housing - particularly for seniors, veterans, and hardworking families forced out of their communities - is vital to fighting the housing affordability crisis in the Hudson Valley. The two sites - Golden Hill, located at the old Ulster County Jail, and Willow Landing at the old Town of Ulster Quality Inn - boast 247 new housing units between them, and offer residents several amenities including onsite childcare and mental health services.

Ryan has continued his fight against the housing affordability crisis in Congress; his first legislation introduced of the 119th Congress included his Housing Affordability Agenda, a comprehensive plan to bring down the cost of housing for hardworking Hudson Valley families by cutting through red tape.

"I hear it from folks every day - costs, specifically housing costs, are way too high. Seniors across our community are under tremendous pressure trying to make ends meet, and far too many hardworking people are unable to afford decent housing in the communities where they work," said Congressman Pat Ryan. "We have a full scale crisis on our hands, and we have to embrace an all-of-the-above approach to address it. I am incredibly proud of the progress we've made, especially seeing how far the projects at Golden Hill and Willow Landing have come. No family should have to pick between putting food on the table and having a roof over their heads - I'll keep fighting every day to bring housing costs down."

"We're thrilled that Congressman Ryan was able to witness the construction progress at Willow Landing, a much-needed project in our community that will provide permanent, supportive housing for families and individuals experiencing homelessness, along with an on-site daycare facility and a commissary kitchen space," said Kevin O'Connor, CEO, RUPCO. "Housing projects like Willow Landing require support from the public, private, and government sectors to succeed and we remain grateful for Congressman Ryan's constant support of RUPCO's mission to create homes, support people, and improve communities."

Michael Berg, Executive Director, Family of Woodstock, Inc. said "The Golden Hill project is the first housing development project to serve the Ulster County workforce in 30 years. The program provides working people and seniors affordable housing with a range of income from 30% to 80% Area Median Income. The project includes a daycare center which affords intergenerational connections."

In 2022, when Congressman Ryan was serving as Ulster County Executive, he spearheaded the Golden Hill Apartment project. The old Ulster County Jail was torn down to build 164 units of intergenerational, mixed income housing. At least 80 of the units are set aside for seniors, with the rest being aimed towards members of the local workforce who struggle to find housing they can afford in the communities where they work.

In partnership with RUPCO, Ryan also proposed turning the old Town of Ulster Quality Inn along Route 28 into new housing. That project, called Willow Landing, is set to finish construction later this year. In addition to 83 new housing units designed specifically for families and individuals experiencing homelessness, the development will also offer a therapeutic saltwater pool, a two-level daycare center operated by Kingston's YWCA, and onsite supportive services to help residents access the care they need.

Lowering costs, specifically when it comes to the price of housing, is Congressman Ryan's top priority. Since 2020, single-family home prices in NY-18 have risen by 47.1%. Rent has increased by 15% in each of the three counties Ryan represents. These increases are far outpacing wage growth, leaving the average Hudson Valley family over $150,000 short of being able to buy a home, and $28,600 short of renting a two-bedroom apartment.

Part of Congressman Ryan's first legislation this Congress was his Housing Affordability Agenda, an all-of-the-above approach to tackling the affordability crisis in housing by eliminating red tape while reducing government waste. The housing agenda is comprised of four common-sense bills:

• The Working Families Housing Tax Credit Act builds on the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, incentivizing developers to build housing that meets the needs of all hard-working families, not just those at the highest income levels. By authorizing below market rate loans and creating a tax credit specifically for developments with occupants between 60% and 180% AMI, housing inventory will increase for those who need it most: working families. In order to qualify for these tax credits, developers must utilize union labor.
• The PRO Housing Act of 2024 addresses two of the major issues restricting housing supply in the Hudson Valley: the cost of building from scratch and access to transportation. This bill will provide funding for municipalities to rehabilitate or convert existing housing, commercial spaces, and industrial centers in addition to new development, with a focus on areas near easily accessible transit options. The PRO Housing Act also establishes a pilot program for the General Services Administration (GSA) to transfer unused federal property and office centers to state housing commissions for the development of mixed-use housing. The pilot program would at the same time eliminate government waste and increase housing options for Hudson Valley families.
• The Deliver Housing Now Act is all about cutting the red tape and letting cities and towns utilize federal funding according to local priorities and without restrictive one-size-fits-all bureaucracy getting in the way. Currently, the Department of Housing and Urban Development unnecessarily restricts municipalities, forcing them to spend federal dollars in fixed amounts on a variety of different programs. The Deliver Housing Now Act gets rid of the bureaucracy, allowing municipalities to efficiently spend those federal dollars in whatever category of housing is most impactful to the people they serve, whether it is on rehabilitation, or increased vouchers.
• The Mortgage Rate Reduction Act establishes an innovative method to increase access to lower mortgage rates. Houses financed with VA, USDA, or FHA loans often have much lower interest rates than homes with a traditional mortgage. This bill simplifies the federal loan assumption process and requires agencies to post a list of assumable federal loans online, making the more than 11.3 million houses with these lower interest rate loans available for home-buyers.

When the Trump Administration announced sweeping cuts at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), reducing their staff by 84%, Congressman Ryan raised the alarm on the dozens of Hudson Valley families who would lose their homes. He rallied the community to keep kids, veterans, and disabled people in their homes and restore the majority of the housing contracts - but the fight to keep the entire program afloat continues.

Additionally, Congressman Ryan helped pass the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024, which would increase the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, and develop more than 200,000 affordable housing units. Ryan has also championed housing in his federal Community Project Funding nominations and awards, securing $1 million for the Rumshock Veterans Foundation to tackle veteran homelessness and $1 million for the Chester Agricultural Center to construct its farmworker housing project. In the fall of 2023, he secured $199,000 for HONOR to provide emergency housing and services for youth facing homelessness in Orange County. Congressman Ryan secured over $6 million in water infrastructure-related funding that would enable the construction of more housing in the Hudson Valley.

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