The Hillside Views Neighborhood Revitalization project will redevelop eight vacant or underutilized parcels in the city's North Central area to create 51 energy-efficient affordable homes with 26 units reserved for previously homeless households in need of support services.
The Hillside Views Neighborhood Revitalization project is part of Governor Cuomo's unprecedented $20 billion, five-year affordable housing plan.
The Governor's plan will provide all New Yorkers with access to safe, affordable housing by building and preserving more than 100,000 units of affordable housing and 6,000 units of supportive housing. Since 2011, New York State Homes and Community Renewal has invested $490 million in the Capital Region to create or preserve nearly 5,600 affordable homes.
Hillside Views will consist of one four-story building with 28 apartments and seven townhouse-style buildings at scattered locations.
The project is being developed on 17 individual parcels obtained over time by the city of Troy, the Troy Community Land Bank, and various private owners.
As part of the project, four blighted buildings will be demolished and the lots will be combined into eight sites located within Ingalls Avenue (North), Eleventh Street (East), 5th Avenue (West), and Hoosick Road (South).
All apartments will be affordable to households earning at or below 60 percent of the Area Median Income. Twenty-six apartments are reserved formerly homeless individuals who will have access to onsite support services through Unity House. These services will be funded through the Governor's Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative and administered by the NYS Office of Mental Health.
Six apartments are fully adapted and move-in ready for people with a mobility impairment and three are fully adapted and move-in ready for people with a hearing or visual impairment.
The project's developer is Troy Rehabilitation and Improvement Program.
The multifamily building will have energy-efficient features including a high-efficiency furnace for heating and cooling in each apartment and common areas. Hot water at each site will be handled with a central high-efficiency water heater and piped throughout the building to the common areas and apartments.
The location of all project sites is near the Unity House Front Door. Residents will have access to Unity House's community services, including a community meal offered every weekday, the Re-Style Boutique, a choice food pantry, and case management services. Public transportation is available for the tenants via the Capital District Transit Authority. Multiple routes are within walking distance to all properties in the development. St. Mary's Hospital is nearby on Massachusetts Avenue.
State support for Hillside Views includes the allocation of federal low-income housing tax credits that will generate about $9.1 million in equity and $6.3 million in subsidy from HCR. OMH is providing $221,000 in capital and $650,000 annually in operating funds through ESSHI. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority is providing more than $57,000 in grant funding to the project through its Low-Rise New Construction program. In addition, the Leviticus Fund will provide $1.5 million. ■