LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Warren County, encompassing Glens Falls, Queensbury, and part of the Southern Adirondacks, is taking a look at housing. Residents in and around the county have been invited to a meeting on a recent housing study that takes a look at the state of houses, apartments, and short-term rentals in the North Country county.
A meeting is set for Tuesday, Nov. 14, on the study, conducted by Novogradac & Company, LLC. The study is the product of dozens of interviews with stakeholders around the county, as well as a review of data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Adirondack State Park, and more than 25 more sources.
It has all culminated in 67 pages of work on local housing. The report in full has been made available online through the county, for anyone who wants a look into the makeup of their community ahead of time.
The study was motivated by others like it at smaller scales, with some municipalities within the county conducting work of their own to look at the competition between apartment and home housing with rental properties, especially with the Adirondacks setting the table for a rich tourism environment. Uniquely, this study looks not only at the state of housing, but also at data on where the most demand lies.
The attraction of Warren County and areas like it has been oft-chronicled since 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a new wave of remote workers in New York City and other metropolitan areas taking an interest in smaller, thriving communities further up the highway. The amenities Warren County offers can be enticing, but the report cites the potential danger of the “amenity trap,” wherein the attraction of natural features and small communities draw more people than a community can handle.
The study’s findings include:
- Residents around the county recognize a housing shortage, especially for those aging in place, as well as seasonal workforce and general year-round workforce
- Most county housing consists of older single-family homes, leaving few options for young professionals and families, as well as seniors
- Many employers feel that staffing shortages are directly connected to housing shortages for the demographics of people who would work for them
- Warren County is trending older in median age, with younger people leaving at faster rates than they are coming to the area, a fact which may have an impact on school districts, housing markets, and more over time
- Younger generations are not securing financing and buying homes, due to higher amounts of education and consumer debt than older generations carry
- Development and material costs have gone through significant inflation since the COVID-19 pandemic
Tuesday’s meeting will begin at 11:30 a.m. The meeting will be held by the Warren County Board of Supervisors at Warren County Municipal Center, 1340 Route 9 in Queensbury, and will also be streamed live on YouTube.
