The town of Huntington is a residential suburb of New York City, on the North Shore of Long Island about 30 miles east of Midtown Manhattan. The town is located in the northwestern corner of Suffolk County, which extends eastward 85 miles to Montauk Point on the tip of Long Island. Huntington contains mostly single-family homes, built to accommodate the influx of families during the two decades following World War II.
In its Consolidated Plan Huntington describes its housing and community development needs and priorities and provides a 5-year strategy for addressing these needs using Federal and other resources. For the first year of the plan, Huntington has requested $1.19 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to finance nine housing and community development activities planned for Fiscal Year 1995.
In developing the Consolidated Plan, the Huntington Community Development Agency consulted with the town's engineering, planning, handicapped services, human services, and environmental control departments. The agency also consulted with the New York State Department of Social Services; the Suffolk County Community Development Agency and the county's planning, aging, and handicapped services departments; and various nonprofit community organizations.
A public hearing was held on March 7, 1995, at the Town Hall to obtain
citizens' views on Huntington's housing and community development needs. During
a 30-day comment period that began April 13, 1995, copies of the draft
Consolidated Plan were available for public review at 12 main and branch
libraries.
From 1980 to 1990, Huntington's population decreased about 5 percent, from 201,592 to 191,474. This is consistent with a trend toward smaller households and smaller housing units. However, the number of occupied dwelling units in the town actually increased by 2,708 during the 1980s.
Huntington is made up of four incorporated villages -- Asharoken, Lloyd Harbor, Northport, and Huntington Bay. All are on or near the shore of Long Island Sound.
The adjusted median family income (MFI) for Huntington is $56,725. Of the 125,700 households in Huntington, 19 percent have annual incomes of 80 percent or less of MFI. Census data show the following levels of low- and moderate-income households:
Huntington's racial and ethnic minorities subpopulations in 1990 included:
During the 1980s, the town's white population declined by 9 percent, while
the minority segments of the population increased. The most rapidly increasing
subpopulations are Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, up by 113 percent, and
Hispanics, up by 63 percent during 1980-90.
Huntington's needs are changing as average family size decreases and buildable land becomes less available. The residential housing stock is aging; about half is more than 30 years old. The population is aging, too, increasing the demand for housing adaptable to the elderly.
There is a need for increased maintenance of older housing stock as well for a range of housing that is affordable to people of widely differing incomes, including the working poor and moderate-income families.
In 1990 Huntington's housing stock consisted of 64,824 units. There were 53,233 owner- occupied, year-round units (82 percent) and 10,623 year-round rental units (17 percent). About 1 percent (968) of the town's dwelling units are not used on a year-round basis.
The population is quite stable. The 1990 census found that the majority of Huntington residents -- 128,543 or 67 percent -- lived in the same place as they did in 1985. Vacancy rates are low: in 1992 fewer than 1 percent of single-family homes and only 3 percent of rental units were vacant.
Housing prices have fallen since 1990. According to the Multiple Listing Service, the median value of a single-family home in Huntington at the beginning of the decade was $230,000. By 1994 the median value had dropped to $199,500.
A 1990 Suffolk County Planning Department survey found the median rent for a three- bedroom house in Huntington was $934 per month.
During the real estate boom of the 1980s, many multifamily housing units were converted to condominiums or cooperative housing. To meet the need for rental apartments, Huntington legalized "accessory apartments" in single-family homes in 1991. The accessory apartment law was designed to boost the number of rental units and to ensure that the units comply with building and fire codes. Since the program's inception more than 1,254 accessory rental units have been inspected and approved.
A large proportion of lower income households are considered cost burdened; they pay more than 30 percent of gross income for housing expenses, including utilities. Some are severely cost burdened, paying more than 50 percent of income for housing.
Of Huntington's 8,922 extremely low-income households (0-30 percent MFI), nearly 80 percent are cost burdened and 64 percent are severely cost burdened. Of 9,070 very low- income households in the 31-50 percent MFI bracket, 74 percent are cost burdened and 33 percent severely cost burdened.
The Suffolk County Department of Social Services estimates that there are 15 homeless families and 40 homeless individuals in Huntington. This estimate reflects only those persons seeking emergency assistance from the social services department and does not consider those who obtain shelter with relatives or who live in their cars or on the street.
Huntington provides three emergency facilities for the homeless, as well as another facility for homeless individuals with HIV/AIDS. There are also five units of transitional housing. The combined overnight sleeping capacity of the three emergency and one transitional housing facilities is 20 families. The shelters are operated by a nonprofit organization under contract to the town. The Department of Social Services provides direct services to shelter residents.
There are 40 units of public housing in Huntington, 10 of which are occupied by senior citizens and 30 of which are occupied by families.
There are 426 units of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)- subsidized Section 202 housing for the elderly in the town and 34 units assisted under the Section 8 moderate-rehabilitation program. Additional subsidized housing is needed for the elderly and handicapped.
Currently, 580 families receive housing assistance through the Section 8 rental assistance programs. Of these, 97 families have a head of household or a spouse who is elderly, handicapped, or disabled. An additional 326 are single-parent households, the great majority headed by females. The waiting list for Section 8 assistance is long and has not been open since 1990. Huntington has applied for more Section 8 certificates or vouchers annually but has not been awarded any for the past 4 years.
The greatest barrier to homeownership by the town's lower and moderate-income families is the cost of housing. Because median family income is $56,725, a moderate-income family would earn 81 to 95 percent of MFI by HUD definition, or between $45,947 and $53,888. A moderate-income household would qualify for a mortgage of only about $75,000 to $110,000. However, the median home price is $230,000.
The need to adhere to Federal, State, county, and local requirements to protect the community's underground water supply is another factor affecting affordability. Huntington has purchased large tracts of land to preserve open spaces and protect groundwater, which has diminished the supply of land available for development and increased the costs of the remaining land. Higher land costs encourage developers to build high-end housing to recoup their investment costs.
Efforts to promote affordability have included:
Huntington will continue to affirmatively promote fair housing through outreach to all local real estate companies, providing information on participation in the voluntary affirmative marketing agreement program. The Huntington Community Development Agency provides information on fair housing at a town-sponsored exhibit in the Huntington Mall.
More than 82 percent of Huntington's housing stock was built prior to 1970 and may contain lead-based paint (LBP). Although the presence of LBP by itself does not constitute a hazard, flaking, chipping, or dust from the paint can create conditions that may cause lead poisoning. This usually occurs when young children ingest paint residue. Older housing in disrepair, often lower income rental units, have the highest potential for LBP problems. Huntington Hospital and the Suffolk County Department of Health Services report that there has been only one case of LBP-related lead poisoning in Huntington in the past 5 years. Because of this low incidence rate, it is felt that no more than 5 percent of the housing stock may have a lead-based paint hazard.
There are housing and supportive needs for the elderly, mentally disabled, mentally ill, physically disabled, substance abusers, and victims of domestic violence. In general, each group has similar needs for affordable and accessible housing, although the groups differ somewhat in the mix of appropriate supportive services.
Neighborhood revitalization is needed in areas with concentrations of lower income households, substandard housing, deteriorated infrastructure, higher unemployment, and public facilities and structures in need of repair. To address this need, a comprehensive and concentrated revitalization program will be directed at the Huntington Station area.
Nonhousing community development needs also exist in other low-income areas and for lower income households. These include:
Economic development and redevelopment and job training are significant needs. Suffolk County and the town of Huntington are recovering from the recession of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Recovery, however, has been slower than expected and has been accompanied by only modest job growth. The area has lost many defense and defense-related jobs.
In January 1995 unemployment was 5.5 percent, with more than 5,500 residents being unemployed. However, the unemployment rate no longer is an accurate indicator of economic stress in the Long Island region because this rate does not include persons who have dropped out of the workforce or those who are underemployed. Underemployment is a significant issue because many highly skilled Suffolk County defense workers have been reemployed, but at much lower salaries.
Economic development needs include:
Huntington's housing priorities, the foundation of its 5-year plan, include the following objectives:
Huntington's community development priorities are to:
Available data suggest that the majority of persons living below the poverty line are clients of the Department of Social Services. Programs directed at reducing the number of residents with incomes below the poverty level include:
Financial resources to carry out the 5-year plan include $1.19 million in CDBG funds received this year. It is anticipated that similar levels of HUD community development and housing funds will be available during the remaining 4 years of the plan. Other funding available to help the town implement its strategic plan will come from a variety of Federal and State programs such as HUD's HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME), Emergency Shelter Grants, Section 202 Housing for the Elderly, Section 8 rental assistance, and Section 811 Handicapped Housing program, and New York State's Weatherization and Affordable Home Ownership Development programs.
The Town of Huntington Community Development Agency will serve as the lead
agency for all CDBG programs. To coordinate implementation of the Consolidated
Plan and the selection of activities in future years, the Community Development
Agency will continue its ongoing dialog with public, private, and nonprofit
housing and public service providers.
For the program year 1995-1996, Huntington plans to use $1.27 million in CDBG and program income funds to address specific housing and community development needs.
Expenditures for housing activities include 40 percent of CDBG funds available for the year, plus $75,000 in income from previous rehabilitation loans. Preservation and rehabilitation of existing housing on a townwide basis will be funded at $525,000. Projects will include weatherization, rehabilitation of both private homes and rental units, modernization of public housing units, and affordable housing initiatives. Eligibility will be based on income.
Economic development efforts have been allotted $50,000. Activities will include providing credit and other types of financial support to establish and expand small businesses. Advice and technical assistance will be provided to owners or developers of microenterprises.
Community development activities that receive CDBG funding include:
Activities included in this year's Action Plan are expected to result in 50 rehabilitated housing units and infrastructure improvements for 8 other homes. The expansion of the recreation/meeting room at the Flanagan Activity Center is expected to benefit 400 elderly persons.
MAP 2 depicts points of interest and low-moderate income areas.
MAP 3 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels.
MAP 4 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and unemployment levels.
MAP 5 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 6 is a map, sectioned by neighborhood, which depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 7 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within one of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6.
MAP 8 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within another of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6.
MAP 9 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded project(s) from a street level vantage point; in addition, a table provides information about the project(s).
