JAMESTOWN – Several people were on hand for Monday’s Jamestown City Council voting session to voice their support or concerns regarding the proposed Jackson Spring housing development on the city’s north side.

CODE, Inc. is proposing to build the $12 million development on North Main St., which would involve the demolition of eight dilapidated homes at no cost to the city, and the construction of two complexes. One building will have 36 units, with 28 one-bedroom and eight two-bedroom apartments. The second complex would include seven town houses, five with two bedrooms and two with three bedrooms. The new building would also be the new location for Southwestern Independent Living Center.

City resident Mike Laurin offers comment on the proposed Jackson Spring housing development during the Dec. 19 Jamestown City Council meeting.

One individual who spoke was resident Mike Laurin, who was also the author of a recent commentary in the Jamestown Post-Journal. Laurin is opposed to the project, saying he’d prefer officials focus on other ways to make Jamestown safe.

“We need to focus on designing an environment that will reduce crime. I’m asking you to seriously consider what the primary and secondary effects of this project will be,” Laurin said. “Is it more likely to have a positive or negative impact on our community? Will there be any added expenses to the already over-burdened tax payers, either directly or indirectly? What other programs are available to help disadvantaged community members secure owner-occupied housing within our comparatively low housing market?”

Resident Bruce Johnson, who is a south side resident, said he’s familiar with the north side of the city due to his job as a postal worker, where he delivered mail for more than a dozen years.  He feels that the concentration of housing would further stretch out the local police presence across the city. In addition, Johnson was concerned that moving residents from dilapidated housing into the new Jackson Spring Housing would create a vacuum effect.

“Although it will improve the area shortly, what’s the long-term effect?” Johnson asked. “For the other housing that’s being vacated, will that attract more [low-income] people? And those type of people, we don’t need. We need people who can pay taxes.”

Resident Donald Paine addresses the Jamestown City Council on Monday, Dec. 19, 2016.

Not everyone who spoke was against the project. Several residents in the neighborhood where the development would be built, were on hand and said they support it.

Donald Paine, who lives on Spring St. near the proposed development site, said he thinks it will improve conditions on his street and neighborhood, adding that CODE will provide proper, safe housing to people whose only other alternative would be old, rundown apartments.

“Sixty to 70 percent of the condemned houses in our city are caused by people that don’t have money to fix them,” Paine said, noting that the Jackson Spring development would provide safer and more secure homes for residents. “We want to build nice, affordable housing for single women and disabled people. People who want to live in a place that has proper security. These places are very secure. They are protected.”

Several others  also spoke on behalf of the development, explaining it would  improve the quality of the neighborhood, while also injecting revenue into the city coffers since CODE gives the city an annual payment in lieu of taxes, based on the number of properties it manages within the city.

CITY COUNCIL HAS NO VOTE ON THE MATTER

During public comment, city councilman Tony Dolce (R-Ward III), who served as acting president for the evening in Greg Rabb’s absence, reminded those in attendance that it is a private development project that doesn’t require approval by the city council.

“This is a state funded project. If CODE receives the money from the state, the next step would be that they would have to get the City Planning Commission to approve the site plan,” Dolce explained to WRFA following the meeting. “Approving the site plan doesn’t mean whether or not the commission wants the project. It would be to focus on the scope of the project, the design of the building, ingress, egress, plumbing, drainage, landscaping, lighting – all those things that go into developing the project. The city council itself will have no vote, whatsoever.”

CODE has applied for state funding from the New York State Department of Housing and Community Renewal and expects to learn whether or not it received funding during the first half of 2017.

Plans provided by CODE, Inc. offers some details for the revised Jackson Spring housing project.

• VIEW MEETING AGENDA

The agenda includes a pair of resolutions that focus on replacing more than 150 light fixtures in the Cherry St. and Main St. parking ramps, in order to create more energy efficiency and long-term savings for the city.  According to City Council and Public Works Committee member Tom Nelson (D-Ward VI), the initial cost to replace the fixtures is $92,170, but that will be reduced to $74,770 after an energy efficiency rebate. He said the annual savings resulting from the new fixtures is estimated to be nearly $14,000/year. Funding for the new fixtures comes from a state grant.

The council will also act on the purchase of the Medic 35 vehicle in the Fire Department, at a cost of $30,000, which will be paid for with funding that was left over due to unexpended salaries in the Fire Department.

OPPOSITION TO JACKSON SPRING PROJECT EXPECTED

In addition to the resolutions, WRFA has learned that some residents may also attend the meeting to voice their opposition to the proposed Jackson Spring apartment development, which would be built by CODE, Inc. and would be located on North Main. St., just to the south of Crossman St. The $12 million project would involve the demolition of eight dilapidated homes and the construction of two complexes. One building will have 36 units, with 28 one-bedroom and eight two-bedroom apartments. A second complex will include seven town houses, five with two bedrooms and two with three bedrooms. The new housing complex, if approved, will also be the new location for Southwestern Independent Living Center and CODE will be working with the Chautauqua Blind Association to assist the visually impaired.

It’s worth noting the city government does not have the ability to stop the proposed project, so long as it follows local zoning and planning laws. The future of the development rests in the hands of New York State. CODE has applied for state funding from the New York State Department of Housing and Community Renewal to help pay for the proposed development, and CODE executive director Patrick Morris has said the development of Jackson Spring hinges on the state aid coming through.

Monday’s meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in the council chambers, second floor of city hall, and is open to the public.