Oneida County Expands Housing Incentives to Encourage New Development

Oneida County leaders are rolling out a new strategy they hope will help ease a housing shortage that has become a growing concern across the region.

County Executive Anthony Picente announced the Oneida County Industrial Development Agency has approved a new housing incentive policy that broadens the types of residential projects eligible for tax benefits and other assistance. The measure was approved by the OCIDA Board on May 15 and is intended to encourage more housing construction throughout the county.

The move follows a county housing assessment released last year that pointed to several challenges, including an aging housing stock, limited new development and increasing demand fueled by economic growth and new job opportunities. Officials say the lack of available housing has become a barrier in communities throughout Oneida County.

Under the new policy, developers may qualify for property tax abatements, sales tax exemptions on building materials and mortgage recording tax exemptions. Eligible projects include apartment buildings, townhomes, condominiums, workforce housing, senior housing, single-family homes and newer housing concepts such as modular, manufactured and tiny homes.

"This is another major step forward in our effort to tackle the housing shortage that is impacting communities across Oneida County," Picente said. "This policy expands the housing projects that can qualify for incentives through the IDA and creates new opportunities for developers to build the workforce, senior and owner-occupied housing our communities desperately need."

County officials say projects will be evaluated using a scoring system that rewards factors such as adaptive reuse of existing buildings, efficient use of infrastructure, compact development, green building practices and other community benefits.

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The housing initiative was one of the topics highlighted by Picente during his State of the County Address earlier this month. He said increasing incentives is only part of the solution and noted that local approval processes can often slow development projects.

Because of that, the county recently released a housing guidebook designed to help municipalities streamline local review procedures and make it easier for housing projects to move forward.

Watch: County Exec Picente Discusses New Housing Incentives:

OCIDA Executive Director Tim Fitzgerald said the new framework gives the agency more flexibility while still ensuring projects provide long-term benefits.

"This policy creates a flexible framework that allows us to support a broader range of housing developments while ensuring projects provide meaningful community and economic benefits and contribute to the county's tax base," Fitzgerald said.

The housing incentive policy will remain in effect through Dec. 31, 2033, unless it is modified or extended by the Industrial Development Agency.

The full policy can be viewed on the Oneida County Industrial Development Agency website at https://ocida.com.