WHA Has a New Name

WHA has a New Name

Since our launch in 2023, it has been the mission of Woodstock Housing Alliance (WHA) to serve Woodstock and the surrounding rural towns, including Olive, Saugerties, Shandaken, Hunter, Catskill, West Hurley, and Woodstock, using community-based land-use solutions that are designed to serve their affordable and workforce housing needs.

Even though every town in our rural region needs to build more affordable housing for its residents, most better-known housing solutions are urban-centric, designed to serve the needs of a city. These solutions typically promote buildings that do not fit the scale and character of rural towns in areas such northern Ulster and southern Greene Counties. The solutions that come from community-based land use planning, on the other hand, typically result in smaller site plans with buildings that look and feel like the neighborhoods of the community.

Although Woodstock Housing Alliance is a Community Land Trust (the area’s oldest CLT), leaders from the towns surrounding Woodstock have often expressed concern about our name, implying that it does not reflect our approach and our mission to serve the rural region.

Our greater Hudson Valley region now has two additional Community Land Trusts (CLT); Trillium CL, in Columbia County and Taproot CLT in Kingston, a subsidiary of the Kingston Land Trust. In response to the growing awareness and acknowledgement of CLTs, the Woodstock Housing Alliance, has decided to change its name to more accurately reflect our region of operations and include the term “CLT.” Our new name is:

Eastern Catskills CLT

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Welcome to our 1st Newsletter!

Eastern Catskills CLT’s (ECCLT) newsletter has arrived! A seasonal newsletter about ECCLT and community-based ownership of land for housing in the 7 rural towns in the Eastern Catskills (Olive, Saugerties, Shandaken, Hunter, Catskill, West Hurley, and Woodstock).

Note: If this newsletter was forwarded to you, please register to receive this newsletter by signing up here, then share this newsletter by forwarding it to 3 friends or family who live in this region.

We are grateful to you for inquiring about and understanding the value a CLT brings to the communities it serves. THANK YOU!

Home Gatherings

Eastern Catskills CLT (ECCLT), formerly known as Woodstock Housing Alliance, plans to hold a series of small gatherings in people’s homes with their neighbors and friends. These smaller gatherings allow for a friendly environment to learn about how CLTs work and how they can serve the housing needs of local communities. Home gatherings are for 6-12 people with catered food and beverages available.

If you are interested in hosting a home gathering to discuss how a community land trust can benefit the community through community-based ownership of land for housing while enjoying some food with your neighbors and friends, reach out to schedule a gathering in your home, by emailing to: info@easterncatskillsclt.org

Eastern Catskills CLT Board of Directors Expansion Plans

Eastern Catskill CLT, formally known as Woodstock Housing Alliance (WHA), has been operating with just three members on its Board of Directors. We are now seeking to expand our board by adding four or more members.

If you are interested in joining the board of this local Community Land Trust nonprofit, 501(c)3, whose mission is to “Foster Community-Based Ownership of Land for Housing,” please review ECCLT’s Board of Directors job description.

In the coming months, we will be reviewing all board applications. We intend to fill the four new positions by the end of 2025.

Eastern Catskills CLT’s 2025 Priorities:

Capacity Building
Land Site Analysis and Selection
Organizational Governance and Outcome Measures
Communications Strategy
Membership Program Development
Leadership and Succession Planning
Technology Tools Evaluation

Town Housing News: Woodstock

This section features housing news from the seven towns ECCLT serves.

Woodstock’s Housing Committee plans to hold a series of community meetings reviewing three town-owned sites that has been identified as potentially appropriate for affordable housing. The three sites are a part of an on-going study of town-owned property by the engineering firm Fisher Associates, which was hired by the Town of Woodstock. The Housing Committee’s plan promotes housing that preserves the town’s character, ensures environmental sustainability and is financially responsible.

The engineers are undertaking a deeper study that contains “detailed information that would be crucial to understanding the trade-offs associated with building housing on each of these three parcels,” HC member Rebecca Brooks told the Daily Freeman. The Committee will then have “important conversations in the community crucial to making the decisions about what options could best serve the entire community.”

Land Use White Paper

Preserving Affordable Homeownership:

Municipal Partnerships with Community Land Trusts

This link is a report published by The Lincoln Institute of Land Use Policy. The report is an in-depth study of municipalities that have partnered with a Community Land Trust and shows the results of what is now a proven alternative for communities to meet the housing needs of their residents.

Please consider forwarding this important study to your Town Supervisor, Town Board, and other town leaders so they too can learn how CLTs are becoming a leading land use housing solution for all types of communities.