admin_v3_pages

age_question

analytics

archival_summary_mailer

brainstormer_emails

brainstormer_upgrades

campaign_monitor

chain_mailers

collect_only_year

consultation_hub

content_security_policy

content_security_policy_bazaar

content_security_policy_bluehaven

content_security_policy_report_only

content_security_policy_report_only_bazaar

content_security_policy_report_only_bluehaven

content_security_policy_strict

cookie_policy

custom_code

custom_js_tracking

dashboard

dashboard_filters_visibility

demographic_filter_text_analysis

digest_email_subscription

disable_akismet

disable_engagement_depth_query_optimization

disable_facebook_sdk

disable_google_analytics

disable_twitter_widget

disable_user_analytics_tracking

disallow_platform_admin_access

drip_campaigns

emoji_question

enable_active_directory_signup

enable_auto_hide_past_key_dates

enable_ehq_newsletter

enable_email_sharing_snippet

enable_froala_participant_css

enable_market_place

enable_material_sidebar

enable_modelled_data_age

enable_modelled_data_location

enable_newsfeed_date_settings

enable_participant_page_hub_filters

enable_pfe_authentication

enable_pfe_ideas

enable_pfe_survey

enable_reporting_filter_builder

enable_secret_key_question

enable_site_onboarding

enable_site_recaptcha

enable_static_page_question

enable_stock_image_library

enforce_sso

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enhanced_social_share

enhancements_on_places

esri_places_migration

follow_project_widget

forum_topic_optimization

full_page_graphs_in_reporting

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gov_delivery_integration

gov_delivery_integration_registered_user

granicus_sso

hide_participant_details_survey_analysis_pdf

homepage_upgrades

html_emails

hub_admin

hubs_on_new_appearance_editor

idea-tool-unverified-participation

idea_unverified_participation

ideas_tool_builder

image_editor

imgix_for_homepages

imgix_for_project_pages

intercom

load_theme_css_first

location_question

mailchimp

mapboxgl

marketplace_sms_integration

matomo_tracking

mentions

microcopy_overrides

modelled_data_ethnicity_field

modelled_data_gender_field

multi_level_links

multilingual_admin_interface

new_badge_paradigm

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new_login_page_design

new_mapper

new_project_pages

new_story_telling_tool

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notifications

open_documents_inline

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pfe_header_v2

pfe_share_ideas_board

places_engagement_banner

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places_upgrade

port_project_to_bluehaven

prevent-protected-projects-in-catalogs

privacy_and_security

project_clone

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project_page_editor

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project_settings

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project_tags_filters

protected_hubs_on_new_appearance_editor

quickpoll_share_link

readspeaker

registration_upgrades

render_site_header_in_places

report_download_confirmation

reporting_dashboard_optimised

reporting_dashboard_v2

reporting_ui

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saved_filter_dashboard_sharing

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segment_analytics

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single-signon

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submission_manager

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survey_analysis

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Welcome to Participate Ulster, a platform to learn more about and share your input on County projects, initiatives, and issues that directly affect your community.

Shaping Our Future Together

<h1>Join Ulster County in going Zero-Waste at fairs, festivals, and public events!&nbsp;</h1>What is a zero-waste event? It&rsquo;s an event where at least 90 percent of the waste generated is diverted from the landfill for re-use, recycling, or composting.

Green the Scene: We Are Zero-Waste Bound! 

<h3>A New Community Space on the Midtown Linear Park</h3>The County seeks to create a safe, accessible, attractive, and fun place for the community in the outdoor space on the Midtown Linear Park between Cornell and Downs Streets. This project incorporates a 10-month public engagement and planning process to develop a community-driven design for this space. The process will provide residents, business owners, and community organizations with opportunities to shape the vision for a vibrant, inclusive public space that serves the needs of all who live, work, and visit Midtown.Take the Pre-Design Survey by clicking on the yellow button on the bottom of this page. <img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/ehq-production-us-california/e88e9608ba635718a27588f957d29cd34d5a01f4/original/1742308759/bc4c331ef0cbdafec64f01c848786937_25_0314_MLP_1200sc%20%28City%20Context%29.jpg?1742308759" style="width: 807px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><h3>What is Midtown Linear Park?</h3>Midtown Linear Park (MLP) is a shared-use path owned by Ulster County and part of the Kingston Greenline&mdash;a growing network of rail trails, complete streets, and multi-use paths. This 12-foot-wide paved trail follows the former Ulster &amp; Delaware (U&amp;D) railroad corridor, spanning approximately 0.8 miles from Cornell Street to Westbrook Lane. The trail provides critical pedestrian and bike access through Midtown, linking residential areas to local businesses and essential services, including Kingston Plaza&mdash;the location of the City&rsquo;s only major supermarket.At the heart of MLP is a half-acre site between Cornell Street and Downs Street, a reclaimed former railyard that tapers from 65 feet wide to 30 feet. Envisioned as a community park during the initial planning for the rail trail, this space presents an opportunity to create a safe, accessible, and inviting public gathering space. Ulster County is leading this effort to transform the site into a welcoming destination for all ages, backgrounds, and abilities, offering both passive and active recreation in a thoughtfully designed setting.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/ehq-production-us-california/51ca6c2f2e79b85e352f814b8d0c442e0a71f1e8/original/1743537272/c702711d126c814dfa2fdb396dab20a6_25_0401_2439_KLP_100sc%20%28Site%29-01.jpg?1743537272" style="width: 732px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><h3>Ways to Engage</h3>The success of this project depends on community voices and participation! Over the next several months, we will be hosting several public engagement events to gather input, share progress, and shape the future of the Community Space at Midtown Linear Park. These events will include pop-up engagements, interactive workshops, and design feedback sessions, giving community members multiple opportunities to share their ideas, concerns, and aspirations for the space.Whether you live nearby, own a business in Midtown, or regularly use the Kingston Greenline, we encourage you to get involved. Your input will help guide the design of a park that reflects the identity, needs, and spirit of the community &mdash; a place for gathering, play, relaxation, and connection.The timeline below provides an overview of when the community engagement events are planned to occur. Specific dates and locations will be posted on this website and flyers at midtown shops for upcoming events.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/ehq-production-us-california/d4c1771ee8444fbffbdec0518502fc74b7d4691a/original/1743537385/098d85e93f708a9252fe1e8a7c706665_25_0401_2429_MLP_Project%20Timeline-01.jpg?1743537385" style="width: 828px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Stay tuned for event announcements and ways to participate in shaping this exciting new public space!

Midtown Linear Park Community Space Design 

<h2>Mobility 2050 looks twenty-five years into the future of transportation in Ulster County.</h2>Developing transportation infrastructure is often complicated, expensive, and slow-moving. It can take decades to go from idea to plan to design to completion. By taking a long look forward, we can plan for the future we want.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/ehq-production-us-california/ab613fba2f2de19404b22ab622bf0f485fa11f9f/original/1741984899/9a29fb693320fa74b00eda242a5410a2_04_gberliner_ellenville.jpg?1741984899" style="width: 610px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">A Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) is a comprehensive transportation planning document. It gets updated every five years by the Ulster County Transportation Council (UCTC). The plan will guide our transportation planning and investment decisions for 25 years.The plan sets the priorities for our surface (land and sea) transportation systems. It recommends transportation projects aligned with these priorities. And it provides a framework to develop, manage, and operate our transportation systems in a safe and efficient way.<h3 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.fhistudio-apps.com/arnie/#/workshop/UCTCLRTP" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Help Shape the Future of Transportation in Ulster County: Take Our Survey</a><a href="https://www.fhistudio-apps.com/arnie/#/workshop/UCTCLRTP" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"></a></h3><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/ehq-production-us-california/da253f02ac9c16b9213073568988c438165faaee/original/1741984917/79ce176d3d3a12019f003ab776e32326_9.8%20Greenkill%20Ave%20trail.jpg?1741984917" style="width: 431px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">

Mobility 2050: The Ulster County Transportation Council's Long Range Transportation Plan

The Ulster County Housing Action Fund (HAF), proposed by County Executive Jen Metzger and approved by the Ulster County Legislature on August 15, will support equitable and sustainable community development through the construction, development, revitalization, and preservation of affordable, workforce, and supportive housing.In exchange for investment from the fund, the HAF will require the creation of healthy, energy-efficient, and climate-responsible housing units that serve households making up to 80% of Ulster County Area Median Income (e.g., $89,350 for a 4-person household, $62,550 for a 1-person household), with an emphasis on housing that serves the county&rsquo;s most vulnerable populations. The HAF will also encourage innovative housing solutions, such as supportive housing, adaptive reuse of existing buildings for housing, tiny home communities, and accessory dwelling units.<h2>Why Do We Need a Housing Action Fund?</h2><ul><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">Longer Stays in Emergency Housing: In 2021, the average length of stay for unhoused families in emergency housing was four months; today it is 18 months, due to the lack of permanent housing options.</li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">Increasing Rents, Stagnant Wages: Average rent for a two-bedroom apartment increased nearly 60% over the past 12 years (inflation-adjusted) while wages have remained stagnant for low- and moderate-income families.</li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">Rental Housing Cost Burden: Approximately 12% of owners and 29% of renters in Ulster County are &ldquo;severely cost burdened,&rdquo; spending more than half of their monthly income on housing. More than half of all renters are burdened or severely burdened, devoting more than 30% of their income to housing.</li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">Homeownership is Out of Reach: Housing sale prices rose 43% in four years to $350,000 in 2022, putting homeownership out of reach for more than half of Ulster County residents.</li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">Housing Availability: The county&rsquo;s vacancy rate (vacant rental or for sale units) was approximately 2% in 2021, placing upward pressure on rent and home prices.</li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">Loss of Emergency Housing: Economic opportunities, cost of maintenance, and other factors have resulted in a loss of emergency housing beds for unhoused individuals and families, with limited replacements offered by the private sector.</li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">Workforce Needs: Business leaders increasingly point to the lack of housing and its cost as the main factors contributing to the difficulty of finding workers for their businesses.</li></ul><h2>How Does the Housing Action Fund Work?</h2><ul><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">Administration: A Housing Policy and Oversight Committee (HPOC), comprised of affordable housing experts and professionals, would be appointed to oversee the administration of the fund.</li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">Funding: The HAF will be seeded with $15 million from the County&rsquo;s current excess fund balance. The County Executive has also proposed dedicating 25% of occupancy tax revenues annually to ensure long-term resources for the fund.</li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">Funding Awards: On an annual basis, Ulster County would release a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) and request competitive proposals from affordable housing developers, nonprofit organizations, and individuals for housing projects that support the mission of the HAF.</li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">Project Types: The HAF would support a wide variety of housing and housing-related projects including affordable rental and for-sale projects, non-traditional housing projects, emergency housing, accessory dwelling units, infrastructure projects needed for affordable housing projects, and small grants for projects to spark innovation in the housing sector. Projects would be required to use non-fossil fuel systems and appliances to help meet the County&rsquo;s climate goals.</li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">Affordability: All projects that receive HAF funding would be required to remain affordable (rent or sell units to households making 80% of Area Median Income or less) for a minimum of 50 years.</li></ul><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/ehq-production-us-california/11e36348cff61a4cf22d0e42c7b9a845ee11fca2/original/1690485605/73b39aa1580487efb33d1fdf32330429_HAF_Annual_Funding_Process.png?1690485605" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><h2>Who else has done this?</h2>The housing fund model has been successfully implemented throughout the country and New York State. Dutchess, Westchester, and Tompkins County all have implemented versions of a housing trust fund. The <a href="http://tompkinscountyny.gov/planning/housing-choices-housing-fund">Tompkins County Community Housing Development Fund</a> has been in operation since 2009, providing approximately $6.8 million dollars to support the <a href="https://www.tompkinscountyny.gov/files2/planning/housing_choices/documents/CHDF%20Tracking%20MASTER_4-26-2023.pdf">development of 875 affordable housing units</a> with most units being placed in a community land trust.

Housing Action Fund (HAF)