Ulster County Comptroller March Gallagher Issues Recommendations to Ulster County Industrial Development Agency
Kingston, NY (October 14, 2021) – Ulster County Comptroller March Gallagher, former Board Chair of the Ulster County Industrial Development Agency (UCIDA), issued recommendations to the Agency to facilitate housing development and build community trust.
“Ulster County is experiencing a housing crisis,” said Ulster County Comptroller March Gallagher. “Median home sale prices increased 41% between 2016 and 2020. Much of our rental stock is now being rented as Airbnbs. The sharp housing price increases in Ulster County have put housing out of reach for regular working families. After observing the process for the Kingstonian project and my own discussions with housing developers, I offer these recommendations to UCIDA. The lack of workforce housing is a county-wide issue that impacts every business and industry sector of our economy. Housing is an industrial development issue.”
Comptroller Gallagher made eight recommendations to UCIDA, including addressing community engagement around housing tax abatements as well as moving towards an expanded set of Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) options as a part of UCIDA’s Uniform Tax Exemption Policy that would standardize certain schedules of abatement while encouraging new developments in affordable housing, investment in existing structures, and green building.
Comptroller Gallagher further recommended changes to the UCIDA process, advising that UCIDA analyze projects to better account for the full range of economic development incentives and contract with a third-party consultant to regularly conduct cost-benefit analyses. March Gallagher served as Chair of UCIDA from 2006 through 2007, as board member in 2008,and as staff to UCIDA between 2011-13.
