Two years behind schedule, the affordable housing development slated for construction on Golden Hill in Kingston received a $15-million infusion from the state Homeless Housing Assistance Program (HHAP) at the HHAP Corporation’s December meeting.
The housing development on Golden Hill received the largest possible award from the program.
The list of causes the HHAP program supports reads like a catalogue of demons afflicting humanity: affordable emergency and transitional facilities for victims of domestic violence, people living with HIV/AIDS, the chemically addicted, the chronic homeless, the severely and persistently mentally ill, the formerly incarcerated, adolescents aging out of foster care, and veterans. There are plans to provide a portion of units for the frail elderly, domestic violence survivors and those living with HIV.
“This is a wonderful award that will guarantee that the Golden Hill project is going to move forward,” said Michael Berg, executive director of Family of Woodstock. “The project is the first real effort by the county to not only take care of people that need supportive housing, but also workforce housing. We have not built housing for the people who work in our community in a very long time, and this is a very important step.”
The project is a partnership among the county, housing developer and manager Pennrose, and non-profit Family of Woodstock. Family will provide supportive services and hold 51 percent ownership.
Construction had initially been expected to begin in 2022, with leasing and occupancy of the finished units projected for late 2023. By April 2022, construction had still not started. and the county planning department predicted completion in October 2024.
Projected costs have increased over the life of the project. The most recent estimate put the overall price at $80.2 million, which according to a fact sheet provided in an August presentation to the legislature, included construction costs of $51.8 million, soft costs of $17.1 million, an acquisition fee of $1.85 million, and a developer’s fee of $9.5 million. The project, now projected to come online in the summer or fall of 2025, faced a $3.1-million funding shortfall.
Of the 164 units planned for construction, 48 will be reserved for residents of Ulster County. The remaining 70 percent of units will be available through a lottery to all New York State residents.
If the project hadn’t agreed to the lottery, $28 million in state financing would have evaporated — along with the developer’s interest in the project.
“With high-quality housing, on-site social-services programming, and amenities for residents of all ages,” said Dylan Salmons, regional vice-president at Pennrose, “the brand-new community will bring much-needed affordable homes to households of Kingston.”
Berg says 48 units will be used for supportive housing.
Comments made by the senior engineer on the project, Roger Keating, suggest that 58 of the remaining 116 units will be rented only to those over 62 years of age.
The project promises to produce affordable housing for 30 years with nonprofit ownership and with 20 percent of construction contracts and half of construction hires coming from local businesses and workers.
“We are incredibly grateful to New York State for their continued support of the Golden Hill project,” said Salmons, “including the HHAP grant, which successfully moves the development nearer to the financing goal line.”
Developer Pennrose is still pursuing a 40-year payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement.
The development will includes a daycare center, a fitness center, resident lounges, on-site trails, a community garden, and connectivity to the UCAT bus network. It will also be a 100-percent electric Department of Energy Zero Energy-Ready-Home certified community.
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