Albany County Legislature Approves 50-Year Lease for Soldier On Housing Project
Times Union | Amanda Fries | September 12, 2016
Albany Legislature OKs 50-year lease for homeless vets housing project
ALBANY — A 50-year lease agreement for the long-awaited housing project for homeless veterans in Colonie was approved by county legislators Monday night.
The county Legislature gave County Executive Daniel McCoy the OK to negotiate a lease agreement for the vacant Ann Lee Nursing Home in Colonie with Soldier On, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that provides homes for homeless veterans.
A project five years in the making, Soldier On will take over the building off Albany Shaker Road, adjacent to the Watervliet Shaker National Historic District. The plan is to renovate the 91,320-square-foot former nursing home into about 100 apartments and to construct two three-story buildings with an additional 100 apartments. The Ann Lee Home closed in 2008.
“I applaud County Executive (Daniel) McCoy for proposing this outstanding project that will help our most vulnerable veterans. These veterans have put their lives on the line for our country and often return home to little or no support,” Minority Leader Frank Mauriello, R-Colonie, said in a news release. “I thank Solider On for the great work they do in supporting veterans who need help the most. My colleagues in the Republican Conference remain committed to supporting this project and any other efforts to help our brave veterans.”
Majority Leader Frank Commisso has visited the Massachusetts site of Soldier On and was impressed with the operations there.
“We hope the Albany County site will at least match its success,” Commisso said.
The project is estimated to cost between $25 million and $30 million, Soldier On CEO John Downing has said. The money will come from a mix of state and federal support, including affordable housing grants and tax credits. With an expected $5 million to $6 million shortfall, Soldier On plans to raise the funds by direct fundraising and private foundation support.
The complex will also include on-site job training and counseling services. It would be modeled after the Gordon H. Mansfield Veterans Community in Pittsfield, Mass., which opened six years ago. Mansfield is a former deputy secretary of veterans affairs. An Army veteran, he was paralyzed in Vietnam. The Colonie community will also carry his name.
Leigh Hornbeck contributed to this report.
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