Planning & Development

Agricultural Districts 8-Year Review

Every eight years, the Dutchess County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board (AFPB) initiates a full review and certification process for all Districts, which is administered by the Dutchess County Department of Planning & Development, with significant help from Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County and the Dutchess County Soil & Water Conservation District. During this review, parcels are reviewed for not only inclusion in the district but also removal from the district if it is no longer viable agricultural land.

The AFPB has completed its review and submitted its recommendation to the County Legislature for their review and consideration. The AFPB has recommended the consolidation of Districts 20, 22, and 23 into Agricultural District 21. The proposed Agricultural District 21: would encompass lands in the Towns of Amenia, Beekman, Clinton, Dover, East Fishkill, Fishkill, Hyde Park, LaGrange, Milan, North East, Pawling, Pine Plains, Pleasant Valley, Poughkeepsie, Red Hook, Rhinebeck, Stanford, Union Vale, Wappinger, and Washington; and the Villages of Millbrook, Millerton, Pawling, Red Hook, Rhinebeck, and Tivoli; comprised of 193,990 acres.

The County Legislature established a 30-day public comment period from September 20^th through October 20^th.  For more information please visit: https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/Planning/Agricultural-Districts.htm

Current Grant Opportunities:

Agency Partner Grant (APG)
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Public Service
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Municipal

To learn more about the above grant opportunities, including eligible applicants and requests, please review the Application Instructions & Guidance for the APG, CDBG Public Service, and CDBG Municipal grant programs. Applications must be submitted through the Dutchess County Grant Portal. 

Dutchess County Eviction Prevention Line  
Dutchess County residents needing information about resources to help them avert eviction can call 211, or alternatively, 1-800-899-1479; choose to continue in English or Spanish; and press 7 to select the Dutchess Eviction Prevention Line. Specially trained 211 staff will ask tenants a series of questions and then provide them a customized list of programs which currently have funding and for which the tenant appears eligible based on the information provided; staff will also refer tenants to Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, as appropriate. There is an online tool, with which residents can submit answers to the questions and receive a contact back from 211 with their customized resources. 
 

Housing Reports
Find out about annual and special housing reports published by our Department:

• 2022 Rental Housing Survey – Analyzes rental and vacancy information for several types of rental housing. Previous reports available for review date back to 1999.
• 2022 For-Sale Housing Report – Analyzes sales, prices, new home construction, and housing characteristics for one-family homes. This is a new effort, so previous reports date back to 2021. 
• 2022 Dutchess County Housing Needs Assessment – Housing affordability challenges are not new in Dutchess County but have taken on a renewed sense of urgency as a tightening housing market and rising prices bring this issue to the forefront for many. Dutchess County commissioned a countywide Housing Needs Assessment, published in 2022. The report includes an evaluation of housing, demographic, and economic trends from the past 10-20 years to help us understand what’s been shaping our current housing market, a projection of future affordable housing needs, and a strategy for action.

DCPF eNewsletter – Current Issue:
Revisiting the Story of Dutchess County's Historic Resource Survey – In Remembrance of Stephanie Woods Mauri, 1936-2022, January-March 2023