City of Rochester
News Release
(Thursday, June 14, 2012) – Mayor Thomas S. Richards, City Council President Lovely A. Warren and City Councilmember Jacklyn Ortiz joined Jeffrey Rodgers, Special Assistant to Congresswoman Louise Slaughter; Jake Waters of Senator Joseph Robach’s office; Lenny Skrill of the NYS Division of Homes and Community Renewal; Hilda Rosario Escher and Eugenio Marlin, of the Ibero-American Development Corp. (IADC); and Roger Brandt of the Cornerstone Group, today at the groundbreaking ceremony for the El Camino Estates Phase II development project in Northeast Rochester.
“Thanks to the successful collaboration between government entities, the private sector and the community, El Camino Estates is now moving into the next phase of a development that is lifting Northeast Rochester to new heights,” said Mayor Richards “Safe, decent and affordable housing is the bedrock value of any community that people are proud to call home, and that is what this project offers. I want to commend the Ibero-American Development Corp. for creating a vision for this part of the city and executing it so successfully.”
El Camino Estates Phase II, includes the construction of 25 family rental housing units on clustered sites located near the El Camino Trail in the 14621 Neighborhood. It is a $6.2 million project, toward which the City contributed $500,000. Other sources include $4.5 million from the NYS Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program; $1.2 million from the NYS Housing Trust Fund; $25,00 from the NYS Energy Research and Development Authority; and $29,000 in deferred developer fees.
Of the 25 units, 15 will be three-bedroom; 10 will be four-bedroom, three of which will be handicapped accessible. Two units will be designed for the hearing- and visually-impaired and four units will be reserved for households with a family member with either a physical or developmental disability. All units will meet or exceed the standards for the NY State Division of Housing and Community Renewal Green Building Initiatives and the NY State Energy Efficiency Initiative.
El Camino Estates Phase I was completed in 2010. It is a 25-unit affordable rental housing development located in the same area. It was among the first projects in New York State to pursue the National Green Building Standard of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) at the gold level performance level.
El Camino Estates is part of broad revitalization plan that includes a neighborhood planning process initiated by IADC. Participants include Group 14621, the Huntington Park Block Group, the FLRT (Flower, Lill, Radio and Treyer Streets) Block Club, the Evergreen Block Club, Ibero -American Action League, Genesee Land Trust, St. Michael’s Church, Roberto Clemente School, the Northeast Quadrant Neighborhood Service Center and other City staff. The project will provide further development near the recently constructed El Camino Trail, a rails-to-trails project that officially opened June 2.
All units will be for families with 50 percent or less of median income. At the end of the 15-year compliance period, the single-family homes will be offered to the tenants for purchase.
IADC has invested approximately $12 million in the neighborhood including El Camino Estates Phase I; the Buena Vista Senior Apartments; two group homes; offices for the Ibero-American Action League’s Developmental Disabilities Division; space for an adult day re-habilitation program, and re-habilitation of property to house a pre-vocational training program for the developmentally disabled. Overall, IADC and its affiliates have brought investments of approximately $20 million to the Clifford Avenue area west of North Street.
IADC also plans to partner with other stakeholders to work with neighborhood homeowners and residents to help them use available resources to keep their properties in good condition and enhance the appearance of the neighborhood.
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News Media: For more information, contact Eugenio Marlin at 467-6410 ext. 22.