East Aurora Advertiser

Apartment project to provide needed housing

Jun 24, 2018


The only remaining building left of Perry’s Knitting Mill is soon to be part of a $10 million project in the village. 

The only remaining building left of Perry’s Knitting Mill is soon to be part of a $10 million project in the village. 

<p class=”p1″><span class=”s1″>Built in 1882, it was once said to be the backbone of Perry’s industrial life.<span class=”Apple-converted-space”> </span></span></p><p class=”p4″><span class=”s1″>Spanning an area that encompassed approximately 246,269 square feet, the Knitting Mill sits situated at the corner of Water and Elm streets. Although once a thriving business, which employed much of Perry in its time, the Knitting Mill was sold to out-of-towners in 1969. Sometime between 1971 and 1974, three of its four buildings were demolished. The remaining building has sat vacant for a number of years.</span></p><p class=”p4″><span class=”s1″>That all changed in early May, when DePaul Properties received a $4.9 million award in state funding. The money provides the necessary support to break ground on a $10 million-plus project to renovate the vacant factory and provide 48 handicapped-accessible apartment units.<span class=”Apple-converted-space”> </span></span></p><p class=”p4″><span class=”s1″>“Fundamentally it was in the works for awhile,” said Rick Hauser, mayor of the Village of Perry. “One of the things exciting about it is, when the village reworked its comprehensive plan back in 2014-15, with a lot of input, market analysis done, survey of our housing, and focus groups from different quadrants of the community, and one of the main themes that came out of it was the need to diversify our housing options.”</span></p><p class=”p4″><span class=”s1″>While there is a good inventory of period homes — two-story homes, typically with multiple bedrooms and backyards — from the first part of the 20th century, which is great for families, Hauser said, there were other shortfalls in the area’s housing market.</span></p><p class=”p4″><span class=”s1″>“Housing for seniors and veterans, people for whom a two-story house sitting six steps off the street is not a really good option, the Perry Knitting Mill apartments is really and ideal fit,” Hauser said. “It takes a blighted piece of land and vacant factory, with no other real prospects, and effectively knits the neighborhoods together.”</span></p><p class=”p4″><span class=”s1″>Hauser said DePaul Housing came to the village and asked if there was any available property for sale. There had been interest in some sites on the edge of town, but village officials were more interested in redeveloping a site that was within village property.<span class=”Apple-converted-space”> </span></span></p><p class=”p4″><span class=”s1″>“It’s a testament to their commitment in taking on the project,” Hauser said. “They are taking on a bigger project to try and integrate with the community’s goals.”</span></p><p class=”p4″><span class=”s1″>At the end of the day, the project is going to consist of renovating the remaining factory building and build a two-story addition to house 48 supportive housing apartment units. Fifty-percent of the units will be handicapped accessible and the other 50-percent will be handicapped adaptable. Forty-three of the units will be one-bedroom apartments, with the other five being two-bedroom.<span class=”Apple-converted-space”> </span></span></p><p class=”p4″><span class=”s1″>The complex will be designed for those with limited mobility and who are seniors, a population that is currently underserved, Hauser said. The “supportive housing” aspect provides 24-hour front desk coverage for residential assistance and also a shuttle service for errands or appointments. Additionally, an elevator will serve the entire complex.</span></p><p class=”p4″><span class=”s1″>Monthly rent, which includes utilities, basic cable, free laundry and WiFi throughout the building, is expected to be around $600 for the one-bedroom spaces and $700 for the two-bedroom units. There will also be an on-site ATM, community room and courtyard.<span class=”Apple-converted-space”> </span></span></p><p class=”p4″><span class=”s1″>Priority will be given to seniors and veterans, Hauser said. Additionally, residents must income-qualify — the maximum eligible income is $27,000 for one person and up to $38,500 for a family of four. However, residents may continue to live in the apartment if they earn more money after moving in, Hauser said.</span></p><p class=”p4″><span class=”s1″>With the complex, Hauser said the village aims to attract and retain residents.<span class=”Apple-converted-space”> </span></span></p><p class=”p4″><span class=”s1″>“When you don’t have good housing options, people leave,” Hauser said. “That’s the simplest way to think about it. We are trying to attract and retain and recruit residents, but to do that you need several things, some of which are in our control and some of which are not.”</span></p><p class=”p4″><span class=”s1″>There are some macro efforts on the way as far as economic development. The village has made big strides with medium-term and long-term efforts to position itself for sustainable economic growth.</span></p><p class=”p4″><span class=”s1″>“People often say you can’t grow a community without jobs,” Hauser said. “That’s partially true. But it’s also true that you can grow a community if you have an attractive community that’s a good place to live and offers a nice cross-section of housing.</span></p><p class=”p4″><span class=”s1″>“You have people who want to stay here but can’t maintain their own house anymore, they can’t climb the stairs … They go to other communities even though they’d love to stay here because their friends and support network are here. But right now, they don’t have many options and that to me is really important.”</span></p><p class=”p4″><span class=”s1″>In addition to providing needed housing, Hauser said the project will also connect and strengthen the neighborhood and make for a major investment in the community.</span></p><p class=”p4″><span class=”s1″>“The primary goal in everything we do is to restore population,” Hauser said. “Population in and of itself creates a healthy community. They sustain our volunteer entities such as the fire department, and support our businesses. And from the government standpoint, our goal is to increase our tax base.”</span></p><p class=”p4″><span class=”s1″>In addition to the village negotiating a payment in lieu of taxes with DePaul, a payment in lieu of special district was also added. The PILOSD will provide $100,000 in fees prior to the project’s completion. That money is being earmarked for the village fire apparatus reserve fund.<span class=”Apple-converted-space”> </span></span></p><p class=”p4″><span class=”s1″>Additionally, an annual commitment of $5,000 will be split between the town and village emergency services, Hauser said.</span></p>

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.