HOUSING PLANS
City hopes to create over 300 workforce housing units
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » The city hopes to create over 380 workforce housing units with three separate projects.
The old Saratoga Diner on South Broadway plans to provide 110 workforce housing units, West Avenue south of the train station plans to provide 158 units and the Housing Authority plans to expand Stonequist with 120 units.
The South Broadway and West Avenue proposals were presented to the planning board last week. Mayor Joanne Yepsen said the proposals were well received as they head into the SEQRA process.
“We’re going to try to move these right along so that we can take advantage of the state funding opportunities,” said Yepsen.
“There’s a cycle the state has for funding options and funding opportunities and we are extremely cognizant of that and encouraging this to be approved this year by our land use boards,” said Yepsen.
The state offers tax-credit to developers who develop workforce housing.
“The tax-credit that the developers will be utilizing is an open request for proposals from homes and community renewal,” said Cheryl Hage-Perez of the city’s Housing Authority. “The Governor has added a substantial amount of money to that budget, so it’s really first come, first serve. It’s a state-wide competition, also, so we’re hoping our partners will be able to get their proposals in soon.”
The city has worked with Saratoga Economic Development Corporation and Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce over the last few years to address a clear need in the city.
Todd Shimkus, president of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, sees the efficient benefit of a sitespecific approach to workforce housing in Saratoga Springs.
“We think is the best way because the sites are developable,” said Shimkus. “You have developers that actually want to partner with the city to get a shovel in the ground, to get those units up and actually unlock them for people that want to work in our community, that want to live in our community both at the same time.”
The city’s currently discussing inclusionary zoning called SPA Housing Ordinance, which would be an amendment requiring that in residential developments of 10 or more units, 20 percent of the units, for sale or rent, be dedicated as affordable to households of moderate or low income. These three site-specific projects, however, aren’t related to that on-going discussion.
“The stars are aligning for us as a city. We know that the need is getting worse,
and if we don’t do something soon we’re going to be waking up here in 10 years with an older, aging wealthy population in the city and that we know it’s not helping our local economy grow. We need to attract the young professionals,” said Yepsen. “We need to attract the workforce people. We need to attract people that are working at the hospital, working at Skidmore College, working for the city. These are professionals but they cannot afford market value because the market has done so well in Saratoga Springs that we now need to intervene, offer some tax incentives. Those proposals are going to come before the council in the very near future to support these actual proposals and we hope that will give the state the incentive and showcase to the state how serious we are about supporting these proposals as a city council.”
The area median income is about $75,000. The projects will offer units between 40 and 100 percent of the AMI.
Ryan Van Amburgh, of Saratoga Economic Development Corporation, said the units at South Broadway would be targeted for individuals earning $36,000-$40,000 a year.
The mixed-use development would also provide 14 affordable units to veterans in the city as well as a 10,000 square foot incubator would attract entrepreneurs of all experiences.
Shimkus credited the commitment from the public and the private sector in making this possible.
“When you have common ground, public/private sector here in the city ready to do something that’s when you can really make a difference,” said Shimkus. “We can really make a difference if we can get these projects approved and then get the funding from the state that’s necessary to make this happen and actually get something done that actually provides units that we so desperately need.”