A $13 million affordable housing development in Rochester's El Camino neighborhood was completed.
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Pueblo Nuevo Phase II created 29 affordable and supportive homes and converted a vacant warehouse into a 10,000-square-foot community center. Together, Pueblo Nuevo Phases I and II provide a total of 104 affordable and supportive homes as part of the vision plan for revitalizing the El Camino neighborhood.
Pueblo Nuevo Phase II includes the infill new construction of twelve duplex buildings and five single family houses to create 29 affordable homes. All of the homes are affordable to households earning at or below 50 percent of the Area Median Income.
Six homes are reserved for formerly homeless households who will have access to on-site support services funded through the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative and administered by the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. Services for these households will be provided by the YWCA of Rochester and Monroe County. Services include helping residents access community resources, prepare for and gain employment, and address barriers to independent living.
The El Camino Community Center at 216 Clifford Avenue, converted from a long-vacant warehouse, provides ADA compliant office spaces for business development, workshops, educational programs, cultural programming, entertainment, and other services that support economic and social advancement.
The residential buildings were designed to meet the requirements of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority's Low-rise New Construction Program. Each building has high efficiency heating and cooling systems, LED high efficiency lighting, low-flow plumbing fixtures and Energy Star appliances.
The first phase of the Pueblo Nuevo development was completed in 2021 and included the new construction of 75 apartments on 20 vacant or underutilized lots across a five-block area near North Clinton Avenue and just south of St. Michael's Church. A separate city-owned lot at 12 Hoeltzer Street was converted into community green space with gardens, walking paths, a playground and picnic pavilion.
Phase I offers nineteen apartments reserved for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have access to supportive services provided by the Ibero-American Action League.
The developer for both Pueblo Nuevo phases is the Ibero-American Development Corporation, the development arm of the Ibero-American Action League, Inc.
State investment in Pueblo Nuevo Phase II included Federal and State Low-Income Housing Tax Credits that generated $9 million in equity and an additional $3.5 million in subsidy from New York State Homes and Community Renewal. NYSERDA provided $92,400 in support through the Low-rise New Construction Program. ■