Holley Gardens move-in day pushed back to April

Photo by Tom Rivers: The former Holley High School is shown today. Home Leasing is turning the building into 41 apartments for senior citizens, and also the village offices.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 March 2020 at 9:04 pm

Home Leasing getting close to finish line in $17 million transformation of old high school

HOLLEY – The former Holley High School should be ready for tenants on April 1 with the space for the village offices to be complete on April 15, village officials said during this evening’s Village Board meeting.

Home Leasing started construction in November 2018 on the $17 million transformation of the former school, turning it into 41 apartments and the village offices. The apartments will include one studio, 35 one-bedrooms, and five two-bedroom apartments.

Home Leasing has the top three floors done, said Ron Vendetti, the village’s grants manager. The company is focusing on completing the basement and the 6,000 square feet for the village offices.

Home Leasing also needs to finish site work for the property.

The Rochester was pushing to have the offices ready for the Village of Holley government on Feb. 1 with the apartments ready to be moved in by Feb. 15. Last month, Home Leasing was hopeful the building could be ready in March.

The village will vacant its office on the Public Square when it move to the former school building. The village will pay about $2,000 in monthly rent, and Holley also agreed to mow the lawn. The village also owns the parking lot for the site.

Lewis Passarell, a former Holley mayor, inquired with the Village Board this evening about the village’s commitment for the project, and how much Home Leasing will pay in tax revenue.

Vendetti, the grants manager, said the village, town, school district and county all pushed to make the project a reality and approve a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) that offers a discount on property taxes.

“Otherwise the school would have sat there the way it was until someone came up with the money to tear it down,” Vendetti said.

Home Leasing is paying $13,500 in a PILOT beginning in 2021. The $13,500 will be shared among Holley Central, the Village of Holley, Orleans County and the Town of Murray.

The 30-year PILOT agreement has the amount in payments increasing 2 percent each year until it reaches $23,973.90 in 2050.

The property hasn’t generated any taxes for about two decades and the village has been mowing the lawn for years at the prominent location at the corner of routes 31 and 237.

The village is getting ready for the move to the school. The board at its meeting today authorized spending up to $17,000 for office furniture – desks, tables, chairs and storage cabinets. Holley will have three offices, two cubicles and its main meeting room at the former school.

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