Construction Begins on New Affordable Housing Units on Court Street
The latest New York State Homes and Community Renewal project sees 111 new, high-quality affordable apartments coming to Court Street.
In the last five years, New York State Homes and Community Renewal has created or preserved more than 3,400 affordable homes in the Southern Tier.
Court Street Apartments continues this effort and is part of Governor Hochul's $25 billion comprehensive Housing Plan that will create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes across New York, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations, plus the electrification of an additional 50,000 homes.
"Projects like this are a testament to how we are using innovative solutions to increase housing supply in communities across the state and a perfect example of why we need to utilize all the tools in our toolbox to tackle the housing crisis," said Leonard Skrill, Assistant Commissioner with the NYS Homes and Community Renewal.
80 of the units are being created in the former sheltered workshop for the disabled building, and 31 units are being added on.
All the units will be reserved for households earning at or below 60 percent of the area median income, and 60 apartments will be reserved for veterans experiencing homelessness.
The apartments will also have supportive housing and case management services to aid those on a path to substance abuse recovery.
"We rarely have something all in one that handles an empty building, addresses the community, it builds pride when people have an affordable place to live. In addition to supportive housing, especially for our veterans, those with mental health and substance abuse issues, it's really something to be proud of," said Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo.
The new housing will have all-electric systems for central recovery ventilation to reduce pollutants and provide energy-efficient heating and cooling.
Court Street Apartments is supported by HCR’s Low Income Housing Tax Credit program that will generate equity of approximately $14.9 million, $14.8 million from HCR’s Supportive Housing Opportunity Program, $6 million from the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance’s Homeless Housing and Assistance Program, $1.2 million from the Clean Energy Initiative, and permanent tax-exempt permanent bonds of $700,000.
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation has facilitated the use of Federal and State Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits that are estimated to provide nearly $6.4 million in equity.
The project is expected to be finished by the summer of 2025.