WESTERLO — The town board voted unanimously last week to support a grant application for low-income housing in Westerlo.

However, the board raised concerns about zoning and water for the project.

The estimated $4.5 million project, proposed by Albany County Rural Housing Alliance, would be located on an approximately 10-acre parcel on Route 1. The project would have 24 low-cost rental units and would be available to people 55 or older who live anywhere in the state.

A one-person rental unit would cost between $420 and $550, and a two-person unit would cost $550 to $600 per month, said Susan Bacon Kimmel, president of Two Plus Four Construction Companies, based in East Syracuse, which is to build the complex. Residents, Kimmel said, would be required to make no more than half of the area’s median income — $23,150 for a single room and $26,500 for a double room.

ACRHA has senior-housing facilities in Ravena and Feura Bush.

All rooms would be accessible to those with handicaps, said Kimmel, adding that, if a senior who was not previously handicapped becomes handicapped while living at the facility, he or she would not have to leave their room and move to a different one.
Judith Eisgruber, the executive director of ACRHA, and Two Plus Four Construction Companies first presented the project to the town board in early February. Last week, Eisgruber and Kimmel said they were on a "time crunch" to submit their application to the state’s Division of Housing and Community Renewal for grant money to aid the project. A letter saying the town is in support of their project, they said, would help the project score higher in the grant application.
"We have to prove to the state of New York that there is a need and there is a demand within the community for this type of housing," said Kimmel, adding that the grant application is "a very competitive process."

The state gets about 150 applications each year, she said, and the state grants between 30 and 40 projects.
"This is not an approval for the site. This is not an approval for the way the building is arranged. It’s simply the town saying to the state of New York, ‘Please invest in my community. We need this for our seniors. Our seniors need a safe, affordable place to live. The developers are willing to work with us, and we want you to make this investment,’" she said.

Reservations

Councilman Ed Rash and Councilman Gregory Zeh had reservations last week because no documentation had been presented to the board and because the board had only recently heard of the project.
"We heard about this three weeks before your grant," said Zeh; he said he wished he had more information.
"Legally, our zoning law prohibits this," said Alene Galgay, the town’s attorney.

Residents and board members wanted assurances last week that the senior complex would be made available first to area residents. Because of its funding, the facility would be open to anyone in the state on a first come-first served basis. When competing for a unit, priority would not be given to an applicant with a lower income.
Rash asked if the town could enforce "more severe laws" and have the option to make a requirement that "75-percent of its occupancy to be first-choice of local residents."
"Not with this type of funding," Galgay said.

Eisgruber said that many who live at ACRHA’s senior housing complex in Feura Bush are area residents. ACRHA, she said, holds open houses, which attract many local people.
Resident Ken Drumm, who worked extensively on the town’s water district, said that, though the complex may not hold seniors exclusively from the area initially, Westerlo residents "over a period of time" would probably occupy the units.
"From a legal standpoint, legally our zoning law prohibits a variance for this type of a situation where it’s for the benefit of the seller to sell the property," said Galgay.

This type of housing is not identified in the town’s zoning laws, said Edwin Lawson, a town building inspector.
"It would have to be identified specifically as an apartment house, which is not identified now," he said.

If the conceptual plan is approved, Lawson said, there are a lot of challenges to be met to make the building satisfy the state’s and town’s codes.
R. Mark Dempf, of Vollmer Associates, the firm that engineered the town’s water district, used past figures to estimate the water usage for the 28-bed facility. Dempf said the water system hadn’t been designed along Route 1 with a facility such as the proposed senior development in mind. "Everything we thought about here was single-family residential," he said.
Town residents are using the water frugally, said Dempf, "as if it were well water." He added, "We’re hoping people will continue to do that." Dempf said a fire hydrant would need to be placed at the facility, which would allow 300 feet of hose to reach around either side of the building. "It looks as though we’ll be able to supply this," he said.

Cost for buying into the town’s water district, he said, would cost $30,000 to $50,000, with a minimum buy-in of two to three years.
"We have $180,000 in our contingency," said Kimmel.

After discussion, Supervisor Richard Rapp asked what the board felt.
"I feel go ahead with it," Councilman Robert Snyder said.

The town board, with four members attending, then voted unanimously to approve of a pilot for the project, and Zeh agreed to write a letter for Eisgruber and Kimmel to submit with their application.

Any conceptual decision, Galgay said, does not legally obligate the town to approve anything.
"Bottom line, the application can go in with or without the letter," said Galgay, adding that the letter shows "a desire" for the project. Regulatory authority on the project, she said, lies with the planning board and zoning board of appeals.