OSWEGO, N.Y. — It’s a project that connects Oswego’s downtown to its waterfront and is described as a “priority project” of Oswego’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative. Crews have finished work on the $26.2 million Harbor View Square, a mixed-income, mixed-use housing development in downtown Oswego. It includes 75 apartments and more than 10,000 square feet of ground-floor […]
OSWEGO, N.Y. — It’s a project that connects Oswego’s downtown to its waterfront and is described as a “priority project” of Oswego’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative.
Crews have finished work on the $26.2 million Harbor View Square, a mixed-income, mixed-use housing development in downtown Oswego. It includes 75 apartments and more than 10,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul announced July 13.
The development replaced an underutilized, city-owned brownfield site located at the convergence of the Oswego River and Lake Ontario.
The development’s location at 68 W. First St. is the former home of Flexo Wire, a nationwide wire manufacturer and distributor. The long-vacant property underwent remediation and cleanup under New York’s brownfield-cleanup program prior to construction. Syracuse–based Housing Visions is the project developer.
“Harbor View Square returned a polluted, underutilized parcel on Lake Ontario into productive use with high quality, mixed-income, mixed-use housing,” Ben Lockwood, president and CEO of Housing Visions, said.
State financing for Harbor View Square included federal low-income housing tax credits that generated $8.5 million in equity and $9.8 million in subsidies from New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), according to Hochul’s office.
The successful remediation through the brownfield-cleanup program is expected to result in $4.7 million in tax credits with the project’s completion.
The development was also awarded $1.5 million from Empire State Development’s Restore NY program. The New York State Department of State awarded $740,000 from Oswego’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, with the award administered by HCR. Additional financing was provided by the Leviticus Fund.
“It was a pleasure working with Housing Visions as this project was a key component to our downtown revitalization work by developing an underutilized brownfield site and introducing high quality and affordable housing units to the Oswego market,” Oswego Mayor William Barlow said.
The City of Oswego was awarded $10 million in 2016 through the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, a statewide strategy to boost local economies and create vibrant urban centers where people want to live and work. Harbor View Square addresses several goals identified in Oswego’s DRI plan, including creating new residential opportunities and strengthening the vitality of downtown, and connecting downtown Oswego to its waterfront.
About the project
Encompassing an entire city block, Harbor View Square includes a five-story building with 57 apartments and 18 two-story townhomes. Forty-eight apartments are affordable to households earning at or below 60 percent of the area median income (AMI).
Eighteen apartments are affordable to households earning up to 90 percent of the AMI. Nine apartments are rented at the market rate. The development also includes 11 “fully accessible, fully adapted” apartments for individuals with a physical disability or traumatic brain injury, per Hochul’s office.
Residential amenities include a fitness center, rooftop terrace, resident lounge, bike room, and conference room. Harbor View Square is within walking distance of Lake Ontario’s shorefront, downtown attractions, retail, and restaurants.