Community Preservation Fund

What’s the Issue?

The Community Preservation Fund (CPF) is a way for New York’s towns, villages, and cities to preserve the rich tapestry of natural and historical beauty that makes each community unique. Money from a one-time fee on home sales goes into a fund that a municipality can use to preserve farms, forests, historical buildings, open spaces, or other ecologically important environments.

Setting up a CPF isn’t an easy task. It requires a lot of collaboration between local governments and community members, and must be approved by voters in a local election (democracy in action!). But more and more communities in the Hudson Valley are doing the hard work to take advantage of this opportunity to retain and enhance the features unique to the place they call home.

What’s Our Vision?

As the population in the Hudson Valley grows, it’s important to preserve the diverse landscapes and historical character that make our region special in the first place. In addition to advocating for state and local policies that promote affordable housing options for the people who live and work in the region, communities can also adopt a Community Preservation Fund to protect open spaces, farmland, and other natural resources beneficial to health and well-being. Scenic Hudson and other organizations offer support and education to local leaders and community members who wish to take advantage of the program.

Unfortunately, the current state of the law makes it too difficult for most communities to establish CPFs. Each community seeking to put a CPF in place must receive individual authorization from the State. Our goal is to make this easier. Scenic Hudson is currently advocating for a bill (A3533) that would expand CPF authorization to all cities and towns in NYS other than NYC.

What’s the Status?

Municipalities in the following counties are authorized (by the Hudson Valley Community Preservation Act) to establish a Community Preservation Fund:

Westchester County
Putnam County
Ulster County

A few towns outside of those counties also have independent authority to establish a CPF:

Town of Fishkill, Dutchess County (expires in 2027)
Town of Northeast, Dutchess County (expires in 2028)

To date, there are seven Hudson Valley communities that have Community Preservation Funds:

The Towns of Red Hook and Warwick led the way as early adopters in 2006.
The Town of New Paltz passed the measure in 2020 with over 70% of voter support from the community.
The Towns of Gardiner and Marbletown, neighbors of New Paltz, followed in 2022.
The Town of Chatham passed the local ballot measure in 2023 with almost 70% voter approval.
The City of Kingston in 2024.

To learn more about getting started, check out the Where to Begin guide.

Ballot measure
A question submitted to voters for their approval.

Hudson Valley Community Preservation Act (CPA)
Passed in 2007, the CPA authorizes designated communities to establish funds to protect environmental assets that are at risk or endangered due to the natural progression of growth and development. Funded by a one-time fee on home sales, the Community Preservation Fund can be used to preserve parks, recreational areas, nature preserves, open space, agricultural lands, exceptional scenic views, aquifer recharge areas, beach front and shorelines, wetlands, wildlife refuges, waterways and river areas, forest land, and historic places and properties.

STAY INFORMED

Become a Valley Defender to get updates on this issue and other ways to protect the land, air, and water in your community.

What can you do now?

LEARN more in the WHERE TO BEGIN guide
VIEW the PRESENTATION to the Rhinebeck Town Board

EMAIL Carli Fraccarolli, Government Relations Manager at Scenic Hudson, if you live in the Hudson Valley and are interested in learning more

GET THE SCOOP from those who have successfully established a CPF: New Paltz, Red Hook, and Warwick

READ about CONSERVATION FINANCING, including the CPF, from Cornell’s Department of Natural Resources and the Environment

ADD YOUR VOICE! We bring the voices of the Hudson Valley directly to the decision makers and policy makers shaping our future.

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