| The 9th Annual Hudson Valley Affordable Housing Summit, Reframing Affordability: Creating a More Inclusive Affordable Housing Agenda, will take place on May 20, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The half-day program brings together municipal leaders, planners, legal experts, and housing advocates to explore innovative zoning practices, strategic use of municipal land, and tools for closing local housing gaps. Sessions will highlight best practices in public-private partnerships, land banks, missing middle housing and other local housing gaps, and emerging reforms to New York’s SEQRA process aimed at streamlining affordable housing development. Through expert panels and practical insights, the summit will equip communities with actionable strategies to advance equitable, sustainable, and inclusive housing solutions across the Hudson Valley. |
| Sessions |
| Keynote: A Better Way to Zone Don Elliott will be discussing best practices in zoning for both production and preservation of affordable housing as detailed in his new book An Even Better Way to Zone. Mr. Elliott will also highlight recent state efforts and local successes in implementing and integrating these approaches with community transportation and infrastructure investment strategies. Session 1: Develop, Dispose or Transfer: Municipal Leadership in the Disposition of Municipal Land for Housing This session explores how municipalities leverage public-private partnerships, Land Bank authorities, and quasi-public entities to advance housing and redevelopment goals. Panelists will examine the use of pathways for acquisition when municipalities do not hold title, and the legal and financial frameworks that structure these deals. Attendees will gain a balanced understanding of the pros and cons, as well as the risks and responsibilities municipalities assume when engaging private partners to deliver public outcomes. Session 2: Creating a Spectrum of Housing for our Municipalities: Finding the Gaps and Choosing the Tools Every community faces a different housing gap — from deeply affordable housing to workforce homeownership to simply producing enough housing to meet demand. Once that gap is identified, the challenge becomes choosing the right tools to address it. Each panelist is working in different ways to deliver the housing our communities need. Together, they will discuss the strategies, partnerships, and obstacles involved in turning housing goals into real projects. Session 3: Unlocking Housing: NY SEQRA Reform and the Path to Affordable Development This session will unpack the pending New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) reform changes and explore how updated processes may streamline approvals, reduce unnecessary delays, and create more certainty for developers and communities alike. Experts will discuss the potential impacts of these reforms on accelerating affordable housing production, balancing environmental safeguards with housing needs, and strategies for municipalities to leverage the changes for smart growth. Participants will leave with practical insights on navigating the new SEQRA landscape to promote equitable and sustainable housing solutions. To view agenda click here. |
| Credits Municipal Board Credits: 3.5 Continuing Legal Education (NYS attorneys): Pending Approval 2.5 Practice and 1.0 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion |
| Sponsoring and Registering To sponsor or register for the Housing Summit click below. Please visit our events page for the agenda and credit information as it becomes available. REGISTER/SPONSOR  |
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