What’s afoot in the Village of Warwick

Gains are ahead in some realms, challenges lingering in others for the Village of Warwick, as described by Mayor Michael Newhard, with 2022 nearing conclusion and the Comprehensive Plan revision approved. Warwick is on the verge of Climate Smart Community certification, likely to be awarded in February, he said, and the Village would be the only municipality in Orange County with that certification.

The Climate Smart program was begun in 2013 by the NYS Department of Environmental Certification and NYS Energy Research and Development Administration (NYSERDA). Actions are required on multiple fronts for certification, including emissions, energy use, land use, “green innovation,” and engaging the public, among others.

Trustee Tom McKnight has organized a Climate Smart task force to guide the process, he said. He notes that the energy saving steps entailed by the program will save taxpayers money, and Climate Smart certification will result in eligibility for grants.

Meanwhile, village officials are working on “traffic calming,” with some help from the NYS Department of Transportation.

“We talked about what can and can’t be done. The DOT representatives would only talk about roads in their jurisdiction, but when we had more people on a Zoom call, we got a stronger response,” Newhard said.

The intersection at Colonial and Main Streets will be reconfigured, but a request for a left turn signal at Galloway Rd. was rebuffed, Trustee Tom McKnight said. Because of the extra weight, the arm would need replacement at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some repaving and revamping of the street and sidewalk will be done in 2024 on state roads.

Meanwhile, the board decided to buy radar technology that accumulates data on how fast people drive by, allowing Village officials to download data to assess speed patterns in a location.

However, an issue eluding solutions is the housing shortage.

“We’ve had no rules about short term rentals,” Newhard said. “The concern in the Village is that it eats up affordable housing when many need homes, like young adults coming home from college and local workers. We need affordable rentals.”

Putting a moratorium on AirBnBs has been brought up in Town board meetings. Resistance has discouraged it so far, but the Village board may discuss it in the near future, McKnight said. But with growing tourism, another problem is a lack of places to stay.

The town is trying to develop rules about rentals, like requirements that the owner or their agent be available 24 hours daily, Newhard said, noting that new construction is unlikely to address housing needs, as so little developable property remains in Warwick, and only 5% of a new development can be required to accommodate lower income residents.

“Given the cost of new construction, with inflation, interest and materials, it’s hard to make it affordable,” Newhard said.