Categories:
09.29.2021
On August 12, 2021 the Community Builders and Schenectady Community Action Program (SCAP) celebrated the opening of Hillside Crossing, a new seven-building, 85 apartment affordable/supportive housing complex with twenty-six supportive apartments.
Located in Schenectady’s Hamilton Hill neighborhood, Hillside Crossing provides affordable homes to families as well as at-risk young adults and individuals coping with mental health challenges. The seven-building complex replaces 19 blighted structures that Mayor Gary McCarthy had called ‘the worst of the worst’. Developed by the Community Builders, on-site services are provided by SCAP with funding from NYS Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner Visnauskas said “Investing in high-quality, supportive housing developments is how we recover from the COVID pandemic in a way that enhances lives and truly benefits the entire community.” She also added “The dedication demonstrated by The Community Builders, the city of Schenectady, and the state of New York brought this project home – and made it home for hundreds of people. That’s true progress.”
Mayor McCarthy praised the project “It’s providing safe, decent and affordable housing in Hamilton Hill and eliminating blighted, rundown, dilapidated structures that were not contributing to the community.”
The mayor also put a spotlight on local businesses and programs that jumped in to support the project financially. McCarthy said this was not a simple project to get done. It had its complexities and people and groups from the community came together to make it happen.
Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan expressed gratitude for the completion of Hillside Crossing and stated “Supportive housing developments, like this one in Schenectady, give individuals living with mental illness a path to their own future. They ensure people have a safe, stable home where they can focus on their own individual goals and recovery.”
State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Commissioner Mike Hein remarked “A critical component of building and maintaining vibrant communities is ensuring that they are inclusive for even the most vulnerable among us. Hillside Crossing is helping to breathe new life into a part of Schenectady in need of development.”
Other speakers included New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos, NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris, and The Community Builders Inc. New York and New Jersey Vice President, Susan McCann.
The five-building complex offers a range of amenities including landscaped recreational spaces, a playground, community spaces, on-site laundry facilities, community gardening opportunities as well as offices for the Schenectady Community Action Program.
Funding for Hillside Crossing came from permanent tax-exempt bonds and Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. Hillside Crossing also received awards from the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance and NYSERDA. Additional funding came from the Federal Home Loan Bank, various City of Schenectady programs, The Schenectady Foundation and M&T Bank. Funding for supportive services at Hillside Crossing is provided through the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative (ESSHI) award administered by the Office of Mental Health.
The architect on the project was Dave Sadowsky & Assoc. and the contractor is UW Marx.
Press coverage here: