TOWN OF ERWIN, N.Y. (WENY) -- The Town of Erwin has been designated a New York State Climate Smart and Pro-Housing Community. Officials for the town said they are committed to fostering affordable and diverse housing options for everyone in the community and surrounding areas. 

This call to action is part of Governor Kathy Hochul’s executive order that was signed in July of 2023 to initiate the pro-housing program. The program aims to push communities around the Empire State to adopt progressive housing policies. 

Melissa Greenthal, Deputy Town Manager, said the town is diving into this initiative head-on, with plans to make Erwin a home to inclusive housing developments.  

“The Town of Erwin is looking into the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and do an application, likely in 2025,” Greenthal said. “That’ll give us some time to gather information...make sure we’ve got plenty of stakeholders interested in what projects we can include in that initiative.”  

Now that the town has been designated as a pro-housing community, Erwin is in a better position to secure financial support for creating affordable housing, neighborhood revitalization projects, and infrastructure improvements.