WKTV, UTICA, N.Y. — It has been so many years in the making that it doesn’t seem real; however, 62 new units of affordable housing in Cornhill are now filled with people who need them in Utica’s Johnson Park Center.
“We took in 21 seniors, because most of this block, 1300 block, are seniors that lost their houses…and so we wanted to give back. There’s really not a lot of senior housing. So, 21 apartments are dedicated to 55 and over with a chronic health condition, and we have 10 more with mental health and the rest is low income,” Rev. Ursula Meier, chief operating officer at Johnson Park Center, said.
But the many partners responsible for this day said that it’s not just those tenants who should be rejoicing.
“You know, if the heart is sick, the rest of the body is sick, and I think the same thing, you can’t have a vibrant city if one part is not doing well, so we need to really have a holistic view,” Meier said.
Here’s how it works, financially.
“New York State puts a grant enforcement mortgage on the property, so it’s a mortgage that’s free, in the sense that, no one’s looking for financial payback. The payback is a 30-year commitment to providing the services and the housing,” Dana Greenberg of the State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, said.
“The investors get the tax credit for providing the private partnership funding that goes into developing the buildings,” Greenberg said.
It’s not just new housing units they’re celebrating today; it’s a community room.
“Playing games, coming together, walking together, because we live in a time when everybody is on cell phones. We isolate, and with that, we get depressed,” Meier said.
Green community housing means rooftop solar arrays, energy recovery ventilation systems that constantly exhaust and bring in fresh air.
The sense of optimism and fulfillment in the air—that’s generated by humans.
“We love living here in Cornhill. We wanted to see change where we live, and that change is taking place,” Rev. Dr. Maria Scates, president and CEO of Johnson Park Center, said.