Housing Visions looking to build near Burton Street Elementary School
By Lauren Young
Staff Writer
Housing Visions, a nonprofit organization that has raised over $300 million to date for low-income housing, is proposing to build a new senior-designed apartment space in Cazenovia.
The Cazenovia Village Board discussed these potential plans at its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 2.
Ken Craig, vice president and founder of Housing Visions, said his company is looking into building its project in the community, and has already identified a plot of potential land.
As of now, there is no concrete plan for development. A market study is being performed first to identify what is needed and what the potential structure should look like.
The intended location for the property will be located across from the Burton Street Elementary School, and the plot currently lies half in the village and half in the town.
The parcel of land in discussion is currently owned by Jim Burke.
A petition for annexation has been submitted to both the Cazenovia town and village boards. If there turns out to be a strong market for the housing project, then the process will move forward, said Mayor Kurt Wheeler.
After stepping down as Housing Vision’s president to steady his way into retirement, Craig, a Cazenovia resident, said he is excited to build his project in his hometown.
Not to be confused with the apartments being built next to Aldi’s as a part of the phase two process for the Cazenovia Market project, Wheeler said that these apartment projects are a separate development. The Cazenovia Market apartments will be market rate housing (meaning no rent restrictions), “marketed toward, but not specially for, seniors,” while the Housing Visions project will be lower pricing aimed specifically at seniors.
Adding that there is “definitely potential” for the project, Wheeler said there is “definitely a demand” for senior housing.
The public hearing for the annexation petition is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Feb. 5 at the Village Municipal Building.
