Storm recovery continues with groundbreaking for Owego Gardens

Storm recovery continues with groundbreaking for Owego GardensOn Thursday, a groundbreaking ceremony took place on Southside Drive in Owego, N.Y. for the $12.5 million Owego Gardens apartments. (Photos by Wendy Post)
Storm recovery continues with groundbreaking for Owego Gardens

On Thursday, a groundbreaking ceremony took place on Southside Drive in Owego, N.Y. for the $12.5 million Owego Gardens apartments. (Photos by Wendy Post)

Storm recovery continues with groundbreaking for Owego Gardens

Owego’s Mayor Kevin Millar addresses the guests and dignitaries that attended a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday for the $12.5 million Owego Gardens apartments. Construction is expected to be complete by early 2017.

Storm recovery continues with groundbreaking for Owego Gardens

Guests and dignitaries attend a groundbreaking ceremony on Dec. 10 on Southside Drive in Owego, N.Y. for the $12.5 million Owego Gardens apartments. Construction is expected to be complete by early 2017.

Storm recovery continues with groundbreaking for Owego Gardens

LeAnn Tinney, director of economic development for Tioga County, N.Y. is pictured at the podium with Nelson Leenhouts, chairman and CEO of Home Leasing, LLC. Tinney and Leenhouts addressed guests and dignitaries that attended a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday for the $12.5 million Owego Gardens apartments. Construction is expected to be complete by early 2017.

Storm recovery continues with groundbreaking for Owego Gardens

Guests and dignitaries break ground for the $12.5 million Owego Gardens apartments on Thursday. The apartments, located on Southside Drive in Owego, N.Y., are expected to be complete by early 2017.

Storm recovery continues with groundbreaking for Owego Gardens

Because of the mild weather, construction was able to get underway for the $12.5 million Owego Gardens apartments on Thursday. The apartments, located on Southside Drive in Owego, N.Y., are expected to be complete by early 2017.

Storm recovery continues with groundbreaking for Owego Gardens

Because of the mild weather, construction was able to get underway for the $12.5 million Owego Gardens apartments on Thursday. The apartments, located on Southside Drive in Owego, N.Y., are expected to be complete by early 2017.

New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) and its partners announced on Thursday the groundbreaking of the $12.5 million Owego Gardens apartments in Tioga County, a 62-unit rental complex for persons aged 55 and older in an area where more than 2,300 rental and owner-occupied units were damaged by the combined impact of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011.

As part of this announcement, members from Home Leasing Services and the New York State Home Community and Renewal gathered with local dignitaries at the site, which is located on Southside Drive (Route 434), and near the Halstead Development.

HCR Commissioner and CEO James S. Rubin noted the essential roles of HCR and the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR) in marshalling and coordinating State and federal resources to make the project possible.

“Area residents need no reminders of the damaging effects Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee had on this area over four years ago. Governor Andrew Cuomo’s commitment to the people has been unwavering to both restore affordable housing and build back in a way that is smart, resilient, sustainable, and better able to withstand severe weather incidents that have become more frequent,” Commissioner Rubin said. “It is with appreciation and pride that I recognize the efforts of my colleagues at HCR who were among those who mobilized to provide support, assistance and information to the people we proudly serve. Our commitment continues.”

Lisa Bova-Hiatt, executive director of GOSR said, “As we continue to re-imagine our State for the new realities of extreme weather, we will not waiver on our commitment to preserve, restore and protect housing for New Yorkers of all income levels. Through inter-agency coordination, we can remain laser-focused on this issue, and generate more affordable housing resources for Tioga County and other storm-impacted communities.”

The development, at 130A Southside Drive, and above the floodplain, will be a three-story, wood frame building with an elevator. It will consist of 50 one-bedroom and 12 two-bedroom units. Twenty-four units will be for tenants at or below 50 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI); 23 for those with incomes at or below 60 percent of AMI; seven for tenants at or below 90 percent of AMI with seven to rent at unrestricted market rates. One unit will be occupied by a resident site manager.

The street name selected for the entrance of the Owego Gardens is Belva Lockwood – an American attorney, politician, educator, and author who resided in Owego for three years in the 1800’s. Later, Lockwood was sworn in as the first woman member of the U.S. Supreme Court bar on March 3, 1879. Late in 1880, she became the first woman lawyer to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Speakers at the Dec. 10 groundbreaking paralleled Lockwood with the project, stating that the Owego Gardens project is another first, like Belva Lockwood.

During the groundbreaking, the weather was also talked about and attributed to the early start of the project. On Thursday, heavy equipment was already moving things around as construction was underway for the Owego Gardens.

Owego’s Mayor Kevin Millar spoke to guests at the groundbreaking, stating that this project has been in the works for almost two years.

LeAnn Tinney, director of economic development in Tioga County, also addressed guests on Thursday. “People were skeptical about this project,” said Tinney.

“[Nelson Leenhouts of Home Leasing, LLC] shared our vision, and we replaced the ‘if’ with ‘when’,” Tinney added in regards to the project coming to fruition.

Construction is expected to be complete in early 2017. The building design incorporates New York State Housing Finance Agency (HFA) Green and Energy Efficiency measures that include energy efficient heat, ventilation and air conditioning systems as well as Energy Star lighting and appliances.

Owego Gardens is within GOSR’s New York Rising Community Reconstruction Program for Tioga County. It will include elements from the GOSR CDBG Disaster Recovery Resiliency Tools Kit such as building the electrical system more than two feet above base flood elevation; installing backflow preventers on incoming waterlines; securing the roof with hurricane strapping and constructing gravity-based drainage to accommodate storm water.

The pet-friendly building will offer views of the Susquehanna River and is near the village’s central business district, which includes a public library, Post Office, healthcare and senior service facilities. The project is expected to create about 30 construction jobs and two permanent jobs.

Financing for the project includes a $7 million mortgage loan through HFA tax-exempt bonds; State of New York Mortgage Agency mortgage insurance; approximately $6.8 million federal Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Program funds; $270,361 estimated annual allocation of Low Income Housing Tax Credits; and $178,526 estimated annual allocation of State Low Income Housing Credits.

The project is one element of a comprehensive redevelopment initiative by the Tioga County Industrial Development Agency. It is located on five of the agency’s 85-acre planned development sites that later will include retail, office and light industrial uses.

Nelson Leenhouts, Chairman and CEO of Home Leasing, LLC, stated, “We are honored to work with the Village of Owego, Tioga County, HCR, and Government Office of Storm Recovery to develop much needed affordable housing in Owego, New York. Owego Gardens will help supplement housing lost during the storms of 2011.”

The project will be owned by Owego Gardens Associates, a subsidiary of Home Leasing. Home Leasing Services will provide construction management.

For those interested in learning about leasing, call Julie at (585) 287-5777. You can also visit www.homeleasing.net for more information.