Housing project to break ground
Expected to take 18 months to build
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » An affordable housing project will begin construction this month immediately south of the Saratoga Springs train station.
The 158-unit project, called Intrada and presented by the Vecino Group based in Missouri, includes four buildings, three of which are four-stories while the other will be three-stories, should be completed in 18 months.
“It’s difficult for those working in service industry or teachers or firefighters and occupations like that,” said Rick Manzardo, Vecino Group President. “Housing is a serious obstacle [in Saratoga Springs].”
Units will be available to individuals and families that earn 50 to 80 percent of the area median income. Rent for a one bedroom apartment ranges from $679 to $1,068 a month, two-bedroom apartments range from $821 to $1287 a month and three-bedroom apartments range from $954 to $1492 a month.
Additionally, 10 units will be reserved for those in foster care as Vecino has partnered with CAPTAIN Community Human Services.
“We like to do a little bit more than straight affordable housing,” said Manzardo.
Previous projects the Vecino Group have done included rooms for homeless veterans, individuals with developmental disabilities and domestic abuse victims.
“It tends to make it a better project, having a bigger impact in the community,” said Manzardo.
Andy Gilpin, associate executive director of CAPTAIN, said Saratoga County has had a need for permanent supporting house for youth.
The target population for 10 rooms focuses on youth are who have left foster care, at 18, or have aged out of foster care, at 21. Other areas of focus will be victims of human trafficking and chronic homelessness, which means more than four episodes that last longer than a week over a three-year span.
Gilpin said it’s been wonderful working with Vecino Group as CAPTAIN will have office spaces, a conference room and
a storage area in the first floor of a building so a case manager can meet with residents as well as be on site when needed.
“There really isn’t a great amount of services out there right now, so there’s been this gap for a long time and youths have had to fend for themselves,” said Gilpin. “To have a permanent supportive program available to them, that’s going to help them to transition from homelessness to permanent apartment or living situations, it’s going to be huge. They’re either couch surfing or finding other opportunities to be housed, many times it can be exploited in nature, so we want to make sure we have a positive program that’s supportive with case management and we can focus them on how to get independent and self reliant.”
In total, the parcel is about 19 acres. Nearly half of which are wetlands, which has been given back to the city as a green space easement.