Room Enough for Both is a community-driven project designed to help the Town of New Lebanon integrate its planning for affordable housing and land conservation in anticipation of the town’s upcoming comprehensive plan update.
Healthy communities need an ample supply of both housing and conserved land. Towns thrive when they encourage a diverse mix of housing that includes affordable options for residents of all income levels, allowing young families to put down roots and seniors to age in place, while fostering well-connected communities. Housing also strengthens the local economy by sustaining the workforce and customer base that local businesses rely on. Conserved land is essential for communities to support clean water, food production, recreation, climate resilience, and the protection of unique habitats and scenic vistas. Strong, well-planned communities recognize that these goals are not in competition and deliberately plan for housing and land conservation together, ensuring that social, economic, and environmental outcomes are achieved in a balanced and lasting way.
Although affordable housing and conservation are well-aligned, they are too often seen as mutually exclusive or opposed to one another. Municipal planning efforts typically separate housing and land conservation, each with its own committees, objectives, and priorities. This siloed structure can undermine trust, restrict collaboration, and set the stage for conflict when significant projects are brought to a community.
Through extensive outreach and collaboration with community members in New Lebanon, Room Enough for Both establishes a roadmap to achieve affordable housing and conservation goals in tandem, building a consensus for both.
Throughout 2025, the New Lebanon community worked with a technical assistance team from Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress; the Pace University Land Use Law Center; the NYSDEC Hudson River Estuary Program; and the Hudson Valley Alliance for Housing and Conservation. The goals, strategies, and tactics outlined in this report were developed through community conversations with more than 100 New Lebanon residents; discussions with a steering committee of local civic leaders; an in-depth review of housing and natural resource data; analysis of town zoning codes, inventories, plans, and policies; and interviews with elected leaders, housing developers, and landowners.
