Champlain Commons housing development opens in Scriba

Development meets energy and green building construction standards  

SCRIBA — Construction crews have completed Champlain Commons, a $13.7 million, 56-apartment housing development for families in the town of Scriba in Oswego County. 

It includes 17 apartments that are set aside for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and who will receive services and support to help them live independently, according to the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Champlain Commons consists of seven two-story apartment buildings and a separate community building with a kitchen, meeting space, offices, computer room, laundry facilities, and a fenced-in playground. The complex has 24 one-bedroom, 16 two-bedroom, and 16 three-bedroom units, which are “affordable to households earning at or below 30, 50 and 60 percent of the area median income.”

Champlain Commons meets energy and green building construction standards, Cuomo’s office said. All buildings will have Energy Star-rated central air conditioning, heating with sealed combustion chambers, lighting, fans, and appliances.

New York State Homes and Community Renewal financing for the $13.7 million project includes low-income housing tax credits that generated $9.5 million in equity and $500,000 through the supportive housing opportunity program. In addition, the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) awarded $3.1 million from the homeless housing and assistance program and the Federal Home Loan Bank provided $500,000. 

Rents for the supportive apartments are subsidized through the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative (ESSHI). The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) also provided additional funding.