In a surprise move Tuesday, the Olive Town Board voted unanimously against a resolution that could have eased restrictions on workforce housing development in the hamlet of Shokan.
The proposal would have withdrawn the town from an agreement with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection that limits development of land it acquires. The measure surfaced after the DEP recently approved funding of close to $90 million to build a sewer system in the hamlet.
No specific housing projects were tied to the resolution. Still, town officials have long framed both the sewer district, first conceived in 2002 and approved by voters in 2022, and a potential exit from the DEC’s land acquisition program as tools to address the region’s housing shortage.
Rural towns across Ulster and Greene counties have struggled with limited developable land and resistance to new construction. Olive faces similar constraints.
Supervisor Jim Sofranko said 53 percent of land in Olive is protected and that, according to a 2017 study by the Catskill Watershed Corporation, only 2.1 percent of the town’s remaining land is suitable for development.
Public opposition to the resolution mounted quickly after discussions began last month. Residents warned that leaving the agreement could trigger a development surge and erode the town’s rural character.
“I didn’t move into the woods for it not to remain the woods,” Shokan resident Dave Kaufman said. “Please don’t do that. Do it somewhere else.”
Several residents argued the measure would not meaningfully address the housing shortage and instead could open the door to unchecked development.
Removing protections in Shokan would allow developers to “pave paradise and put up a parking lot,” said Shokan resident Allison Irwin. “Developers don’t develop for us. They develop to make money.”
Housing advocates pushed back on that characterization.
Vickie Starr, a member of the Shandaken Housing Smart Task Force and founder of the nonprofit Catskills Alliance for Housing and Preservation, said resistance to development is common across the region.
“The people who are standing in the way of housing development—or any development—are being really shortsighted,” Starr said. “This area is never gonna turn into the Hamptons. Nobody wants it or will allow it.”
Kevin O’Connor, chief executive officer of the nonprofit housing organization RUPCO, said communities often wrestle with competing priorities.
“People are attracted to the area because of the beauty, and then once they are here they want to close the gate,” O’Connor said. “But in decades past, towns would avoid development, so I am encouraged by what I have seen from elected officials and towns expressing real interest to build affordable housing.”
Jackson Dykman, a vocal opponent of the resolution, acknowledged that concerns could be viewed as NIMBY-ism—shorthand for “not in my backyard,” or opposition to development near one’s home—but said clearer proposals might shift public opinion.
“I totally get that way of looking at it, and it kinda makes me feel like crap,” Dykman said. “But none of us are blind. We know someone is going to build stuff along the way. Let’s take a look at it case by case. All we have been given now is a concept with absolutely no facts.”
Board member Edwin Maldonado, who cited housing as a key issue during his campaign, said he remains confident the town can make progress through zoning updates and public discussion.
“Our board has been entrusted with making these decisions. And sometimes we are going to listen to the pushback,” Maldonado said. “Sometimes our decisions will make people happy and sometimes it will make them unhappy.”
Sofranko said public opposition ultimately changed his position.
“To hear the passion people had about that was persuasive,” Sofranko said. “The sewer won’t get built for four years, so why rush this?”
He said the town continues to explore solutions, including discussions with Ulster County on a smart housing plan and zoning updates tied to a forthcoming comprehensive plan.
“This isn’t a signal that we aren’t pro-affordable housing,” Sofranko said. “We were never going to have projects that have 30 units. If we end up with six to 10, we would probably call it a success.”
Jim Rich is a senior reporter for The Overlook. You can reach him at jim@theoverlooknews.com.