At the September 3 meeting of the Wawarsing town board there was a presentation by Carli Fraccaroli, government relations manager for Scenic Hudson, to promote the state’s Community Preservation Fund (CPF) program.

The CPF is a New York State program to empower towns, villages and cities to preserve what they consider special to their communities – it may be agricultural fields, a stretch of forest, historical buildings, or simple open space.

It’s a response to the great planning riddle of this era – how do you build enough housing to alleviate the price crisis, while preserving the diverse landscape and culture of the region.

Fraccaroli noted that the program is still new. “Only three counties in the Hudson Valley have authorized it: Ulster, Westchester, and Putnam. We are trying to expand access now, and are working with Sullivan County on that."

Besides counties, some municipalities have received independent authorization from Governor Hochul to implement the program – one example that Fraccaroli gives is Orangetown in Rockland County. [Editor’s Note: I used to live there. Home to a very historic defunct army base, and a car wash that used to be the studio where Springsteen recorded “Born to Run.”]

“The bill that would do this for Sullivan County is now on Governor Hochul’s desk. That would give all municipalities in the county access to the program.”

What about the affordable housing issue? “Housing is not part of it,” Fraccaroli said. “Can’t use the money for housing.” Fraccaroli suggested a way to create this fund would be placing a tax of up to 2 percent on real estate sales priced above $443,000, the current median price in Ulster County.

She emphasized that the tax could be varied, town by town, and would only apply to higher-end properties and that portion of the sale price above the $443,000 level. It would not be a “property tax” but would be paid by the buyer of the property.

Johnny Frost, board member, said that Warwick has a CPF and is trying to use it to protect water sources, but has an issue with maintenance funding.

Supervisor Joe Stoeckeler asked if Capital Projects could be funded this way. Fraccaroli responded that Red Hook has a CPF with a focus on agricultural land and open spaces. Fraccaroli emphasized that a local law is required to set up a CPF, and an advisory board is required. She noted that some municipalities had put CPFs to a vote and they had been approved by huge margins. In New Paltz, she said, 72 percent of the voters approved.

Opposition to the program is coming from the New York State Real Estate Association, she added.

Joe Stoeckeler said that he thought a 2 percent tax would be too high.

Local environmental activists Sarah Underhill and Corinne Kisner were in attendance, and Kisner noted that Ulster County only began to allow CPFs in 2019 and that it was early days for this program. She also suggested that the town start planning a year in advance before any ballot is held.