Oneida County had developers prepared to move, Tony Pharo told WXPR, but many projects remained blocked by a shortage of sites with roads, water, sewer and other utilities already in place.
Installing that infrastructure can consume millions of dollars before a home is built. If the full cost is assigned to a small number of lots, the price per household can overwhelm every other affordability effort.
Pharo used a simple example: three million dollars spread over thirty lots equals one hundred thousand dollars per home. A low interest rate does not remove that principal; it still reaches the buyer through the development budget.
What the numbers leave out
The post-COVID cost environment makes the problem harder. Labor, materials, equipment and financing have all changed what an affordable project can support.
WHEDA infrastructure financing is valuable in the right setting, but Pharo’s criticism focused on structure rather than intent. Debt that must be fully repaid through home sales may not close the gap on sites serving moderate-income households.
The issue belongs to the entire community because infrastructure lasts beyond the first buyer. A durable solution may require grants, shared public investment, tax-increment tools, land value or enough density to distribute costs across more homes.