Work starts on redevelopment of nearly $29 million New Hartford senior-housing complex

NEW HARTFORD, N.Y. — Crews have started work on a $28.5 million project to redevelop the Meadows at Middle Settlement, a senior-housing complex in New Hartford.

The project is replacing 14 buildings containing 93 units of “dilapidated,” flood-damaged senior Mitchell-Lama rental housing originally constructed in 1974, the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a news release.

Mitchell-Lama housing, derived from the last names two New York City state lawmakers who sponsored the legislation, is designed to accommodate the housing needs of moderate-income families, according to the website of New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR).

The project involves new construction of 93 units in three, three-story elevator buildings, and a fourth building will contain a community room and wellness center.

The funding agreement with Boston, Massachusetts–based Beacon Communities, LLC “assures” the rents at Meadows will “remain affordable for 50 more years,” Cuomo’s office said.

Beacon Communities operates an office in Albany. Crews expect to complete construction in the spring of 2019.

The development, located at 4310 Middle Settlement Road in the town of New Hartford, is part of Cuomo’s plan for affordable housing. The plan includes $20 billion to build or preserve 100,000 units of affordable, and 6,000 units of supportive housing across New York, Cuomo’s office said.

Besides HCR and Beacon Communities, the governor’s office of storm recovery (GOSR) is also involved in the project, according to the release.

The entire Meadows complex consists of 149 units. During the phased construction of the 93 units, residents will temporarily relocate to unoccupied apartments. Beacon Communities plans to complete redevelopment of the remaining 56 apartments after this phase is completed.

Funding for the Meadows at Middle Settlement included $13 million in tax-exempt bonds through HCR’s Housing Finance Agency; $9.3 million from the Mitchell-Lama loan program and state low-income housing tax credits which will leverage $3,250,000 in tax-credit equity and GOSR’s award of a community-development block grant disaster-recovery loan of $7 million.

Construction plan

Crews are constructing the new buildings outside the 100-year flood plain as 18 units were rendered “uninhabitable” after the Mud Creek Stream overflowed in 2013, Cuomo’s office said.

New Hartford is “well aware” that damage from extreme weather events is “not confined” to the state’s coastal areas, Lisa Bova-Hiatt, executive director of the governor’s office of storm recovery, said in Cuomo’s news release.

“GOSR proudly supports the Meadows at Middle Settlement which will preserve much-needed affordable senior housing. It is being constructed outside the 100-year flood plain and incorporates resilient features to build back better than before. While we cannot control the forces of nature, we can take prudent steps to minimize future effects,” said Bova-Hiatt.

Crews are also building the structures to the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) standard for “sustainable, energy efficient” construction, including construction with fortified vapor-barrier foundations.

The Washington, D.C.–based USGBC is a nonprofit organization that promoted sustainability in building design, construction, and operation.

They are also constructing building facades with fiber cement board lap siding and constructing roofs with ice and water shield underlays with 30-year minimum warranties.

The new apartments will also feature energy-efficient appliances and water-conserving plumbing fixtures.

Nine units will be “fully accessible” for handicapped persons and six will be equipped for tenants with vision or hearing impairments, Cuomo’s office said.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com