Details Released About Plans to Replace Former Jail with Housing

Above photo: Renderings of an affordable apartments building proposal that would replace the former Schoharie County Jail. Photo by Chris English.

SCHOHARIE - Many officials and residents around Schoharie County are hoping a proposal to replace the former county jail with some much needed housing comes to fruition.

Those interested in the plan got a detailed look at it during an informational session Thursday, Jan. 29 in the cafeteria at Schoharie Junior-Senior High School. Albany-based nonprofit Rehabilitation Support Services, Inc. - which operates out of 19 counties in the state including Schoharie - is proposing a three-story, L-shaped building with 60 apartment units that would replace the former jail at 157 Depot Lane in the Village of Schoharie.

The jail was permanently closed after being severely flooded from Hurricane Irene in 2011. At the informal event on Jan. 29, residents and officials were able to drop in and stay as long as they wanted. Several representatives from RSS and other professionals were on hand to provide information and answer questions, and attendees could examine several large renderings of various aspects of the plan put up on easels.

Christine Nealon, Director of Strategic Partnerships at RSS, said that all of the 60 apartment units would be classified as “affordable” and that half of them would be reserved for residents with some kind of mental health diagnosis that RSS would develop wellness plans for. There would be 42 one-bedroom apartments of 650 to 750 square feet, and 18 two-bedroom units of 800 to 1,000 square feet.

Mike Newman, Director of Program Development for CSD Housing that’s acting as development coordinator for the project, estimated monthly rentals would run somewhere around $900 to $1,200. He added he was very optimistic the project would be built and occupied.

“There’s a lot of good things involved with it,” Newman said. “It puts the property back on the tax rolls, creates needed housing and eliminates an eyesore.”

The proposal needs approval from the Village of Schoharie Planning Board, the State Office of Homes and Community Renewal and possibly the State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, he noted. Newman said a “best case” scenario would have construction on the apartment building starting in September of 2027 and being completed 18 to 20 months after that.

He added the contractor that would actually construct the building has not been selected yet but he’s spoken to two firms who have experience with this type of building.

Engineer Jason Dell of Lansing Engineering said that when finished, the facility would be landscaped in front and on the sides, have two accesses from Depot Lane and also be served by sidewalks.

The proposal “responds directly to Schoharie’s shortage of affordable, high quality housing,” according to information handed out at the Jan. 29 session. “It brings jobs, investment and long-term economic benefits to Schoharie”

The literature added that “30 of these apartments will be for individuals voluntarily engaging in support services, all living independently. This is not a  homeless shelter, group home or treatment facility.”

It continues that the apartment building would be a “$27 million development funded through LIHTC private investment and NYS support - no local tax burden. Transforms a vacant and abandoned public safety facility into community asset offering safe, affordable apartment living”

While nonprofits like RSS are not normally required to pay property taxes, the information mentions “pursuit of a fair and equitable PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) contribution to the tax base.”

Among those attending the Sept. 29 event were Town and County Supervisors Donald Airey of Blenheim, Bill Federice of Conesville and Ben Oevering of Schoharie. Federice is Chairman of the county Board of Supervisors, and Airey is Vice-Chairman of the BOS and also chairs the Housing Committee.

In comments emailed to this newspaper after the Jan. 29 session, Airey praised the efforts of former Supervisor Earlin Rosa of Seward on the housing proposal, and touched extensively on the supportive (30 apartments) component of the proposal.

“I am optimistic that the Supportive Housing project proposed for the old, abandoned and decaying PSF site will come to fruition,” Airey wrote. “Ex-Supervisor Earlin Rosa, I and others have put a lot of time, energy and research into this project over the past few years……Sooner or later that decaying building would have to be demolished at county cost of at least $1.5M, potentially much more. The existing building was not a candidate for modification so it will need to be demolished and elevated out of the flood plain.”

Airey continued: “Supportive housing and housing in general represent a critical need in the state and certainly in Schoharie County. Supportive housing is not a free ride, but provides for an opportunity for people to access housing stability which represents a key component in quality of life and career opportunities. Moreover, Supportive housing can be a proactive and economically advantageous methodology to remove the inability of people and families to secure housing before the problem becomes insurmountable. An investment in people while the same people invest in community.

“Supportive housing is based on ability to pay and should not be considered permanent. It offers the opportunity for eventual home ownership and long-term host community investment. I have every confidence in this project being accepted by the host community. A project that will contribute to the local tax base, provide consumer opportunities to local businesses and most importantly, illustrate what can be done to grow community when people are given a fair and realistic opportunity to succeed. If they succeed, we as a community and county succeed. That is the long-term goal.”

"RSS, the company leading this project, has several similar operations that Schoharie Village officials have previously visited. Everyone was impressed with what they saw," said County Board Chair and Conesville Town Supervisor Bill Federice.

"While every project is different and we will need to work through specific details to meet community needs, I am confident the result will be a first-class operation. It will go a long way in addressing the acute housing shortage in Schoharie County."

Attendees check out an informational session on a housing proposal that would replace the former Schoharie County Jail. Photo by Chris English.