William J. Kemble reports for the Daily Freeman that affordable housing is a key issue for he Ulster County Industrial Development Agency for 2024. The group says solving the lack of affordable housing is key for new businesses to attract and keep employees. Chair of the agency, Mike Ham, admitted some were not happy with the group's progress so far on the issue. He said, “Despite some passionate conversations in here, the board’s moving ahead here." There are 880 housing units planned for a 2024 development in iPark 87 in the town of Ulster. Ham said, “Manufacturing and housing are walking hand-in-hand because you can’t anticipate hiring 400 people for a large-scale manufacturing project if they have no place to live.... The IDA is not the entity to solve the housing crisis.... We don’t have the funding for that.” Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.