Albion village approves zoning change for 50-unit apartment complex on Liberty Street
Courtesy of DePaul Community Services: This rendering shows the layout for a 50-unit apartment site on Liberty Street, behind the Hoag Library in Albion. The project would demolish three existing houses to make way for the new housing, which would include 46 one-bedroom apartments and four 2-bedroom units.
ALBION – The Village Board voted to change the zoning for several parcels on Liberty, South Clinton and Beaver streets, making the way for multiple-family housing.
The zoning change was needed for DePaul to push forward with its proposal for a 50-unit housing project on Liberty Street, between Beaver Street and the railroad tracks.
The Village Board held a public hearing Wednesday on the zoning change and voted later in the meeting to make the change for land that was either zoned two-family residential, limited business or residential. It is now zoned for R-3.
DePaul is working on the project and needs local approvals such as the zoning change, and additional state funding for it to become a reality.
DePaul is designing the project to support people with disabilities, including senior citizens and veterans. The organization will do extensive background checks for credit, criminal and sex offender history and evictions, Gillian J. Conde, Vice President for DePaul Properties in Rochester, said recently in Albion.
The organization is proposing 46 one-unit apartments and four that would be two-bedroom. Conde said only a few children would likely live at the site.
The apartments aren’t a public housing project. Conde told the Albion Rotary Club in March the apartments are “middle market housing” with one-bedroom apartment rent at $600 a month and two bedrooms at $700. That includes utilities, basic cable, WiFi and laundry.
The Liberty Street project would be a big lift to that neighborhood and the village, Conde said.
The project would be similar to a DePaul site in Batavia that serves low-income residents, including people with mental health issues. Conde said DePaul would like to partner with local agencies, such as the Orleans County Mental Health Department, to connect tenants to services in the community.
DePaul would have some services on site, and staff will be there 24 hours a day. DePaul would have a van on site to transport tenants to medical appointments. Half of the apartments would be ADA-compliant and the other half would be adaptable for people who may need the apartment to be handicapped accessible.
