KINGSTON --A second Article 78 lawsuit brought to stop construction of affordable housing in Woodstock was dismissed last week by New York State Supreme Court Judge Christopher Cahill, paving the way for ground breaking at the Bradley Meadows site. In a three-page decision handed down June 6, Cahill rejected claims made by Robin Segal, Iris York and five others against the Town of Woodstock, Rural Ulster Preservation Company (RUPCO) and EVK Realty, LLC.

Noting that the Segal/York petition to the court was filed on March 9, Cahill ruled that it was commenced well beyond the statute of limitations for such petitions. "The applicable statute of limitations expired on September 10, 2010," according to Cahill, who added "that is,30 days after the filing of the Planning Board resolution granting the permit, approving the site plan and specifically finding that the common water supply capability was adequate to provide water to the development as designed."

Kevin O'Connor, executive director of RUPCO, applauded the decision and reiterated the need to get moving on construction of affordable housing in Woodstock. "The judge's decision speaks for itself," said O'Connor,"and while we are pleased with the result, we are not surprised. It was exactly what we expected."

"This project has been underway for eight years now and in formal review for more than five," O'Connor continued. "In that time, no new affordable housing has been constructed and the need has continued to grow." O'Connor pointed out the Tri-County Housing Study from 2006-2020, in which researchers identified a Renter Affordability Gap in Woodstock of 215 units and set a goal of building 96 new rental units by then. "The 53 units proposed by RUPCO will only meet one quarter of the current demand," said O'Connor. "But it's more than half of the building target identified in the study and we think that's a very good start."

RUPCO Community Development Director Guy Kempe noted that there are still a few final steps to be taken before the fully funded construction project gets underway. "We have designed and proposed a facility that will be beautiful, green, sustainable and in all ways ideal for this infill site in the community," said Kempe. "After years of review, we are all really eager to move forward to ground-breaking. We celebrate our 30th anniversary of providing great housing and community development services in Ulster County and I can't think of a better way to celebrate."

SOURCE: Rural Ulster Preservation Company (RUPCO)