August 20, 2010: Paul Tesoro, Director of Communications for Central Hudson, hosts a daily broadcast called Almanac aired on multiple Hudson Valley radio stations. We were pleased that he featured The Birches at Chambers and The Birches at Esopus in today’s broadcast. Paul highlighted the amenities that our communities offer and how they contribute to the quality of life for our residents. In addition, the broadcast covered the green aspects that ultimately contribute not only to health but also affordability. To listen to the broadcast, click here (it takes a moment for the intro to kick in).
Posts Tagged ‘Hudson Valley’
Central Hudson’s Almanac Salutes Birchez’ Green Affordable Commitment
Saturday, August 21st, 2010Resident Profile: Gerry Mazur
Wednesday, August 4th, 2010It was around the time she moved back from Florida that “the depression” settled onto Gerry Mazur. Having moved there after the death of her husband fourteen years ago, she met and wed her second husband. Sadly, he passed away as well and Gerry decided to move back up to the Hudson Valley.
“I began to miss my family,” she says. “I came back up here, expecting that my grandchildren were going to be as they were when I left — you know, small, who 
would come sit in your lap, say, ‘Hi grandma, read me a story.’ But fourteen years is a long time, and these kids are grown now and going out on their own.”
Gerry sank deeper into depression and she found it easy to isolate in the duplex apartment she rented. Finally, the family became involved and one of her daughters told her about The Birches at Esopus, where she’s lived for the last year and a half.
That’s when things started to turn around.
“I like it here very much,” says Gerry. “And there’s alot to do if you want to do it…I get to play bingo, and tomorrow night will be movie night. I’ve been to every one of them so far that we’ve had here. The theater is very comfortable. We had new movies and ole. Jerry Lewis was in our first movie, and we laughed so hard.”
As for the depression that had descended upon her return from Florida, Gerry says, “I finally got with people, people to talk to.”
The key, it seems, is not just being active, but being social. Being able to talk to other people has allowed Gerry to find happiness at The Birches at Esopus.
“My next door neighbors on both sides of me are very nice,” she says. She does crafts with the Residents’ Club, plays bingo on Tuesdays and Fridays, and makes sure to catch every one of the movies on show in the building’s media room. “In between, even when you walk to the laundry room, you meet people, talk to them,” she says. And Gerry gets out to the patio to visit with new friends.
“I just do what I want to do, when I want to do it, how I want to do it,” she says. “Once you’re retired, you’re pretty much on your own. Of course, it’s harder to live. You can’t go out and buy things like you did when you had a good pay check coming in, but you got to realize that life is going on, we’re getting older…we laugh here, and say ‘I’m not old, I’m getting old.’”
Brian Rubin for Birchez Associates, birchezassociates@gmail.com
Seniors Finalists – The Birches at Esopus
Thursday, July 15th, 2010SPECIAL FOCUS
Readers’ Choice Finalists
AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCE • July/August 2010
The Birches at Esopus is one of four national finalists for Senior housing in the magazine’s annual Readers’ Choice competition. The excerpt for The Birches at Esopus follows.
ULSTER PARK, N.Y.— The Birches at Esopus is the first affordable housing community in the town of Esopus, an area encompassing 40 square miles with about 9,500 residents.
Overlooking the Hudson River, the new development provides 80 one- and two-bedroom apartments for seniors earning no more than 50 percent and 60 percent of the area median income.
Birchez Associates, LLC, an experienced Hudson Valley affordable housing developer, built an amenity-rich development where residents can age in place, says Steven Aaron, managing member.
Eight units are handicapped accessible, and all units are handicapped ready with roll-in showers installed. All units have emergency pull cords so seniors can call for help.
The development encourages an active lifestyle, with ample outdoor and community space. An exercise studio is staffed with a fitness coach. Understanding that isolation is a common issue for seniors, Birchez Associates also funds a senior advocate to lend a sympathetic ear and guide residents on services.
To assist in the residents’ heath-care needs, the firm has teamed with nonprofit Elant, Inc., on the “Nurse Is In” program, which brings a nurse to the property for regular office hours.
The development is also notable for its green design. It has been recognized by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority for achieving more than 30 percent savings over the state energy codes. Solar panels provide about 70 percent of the domestic hot water for the building and 40 percent of the heat.
The $18 million development was funded largely by bonds from the New York State Housing Finance Agency, enhanced by the State of New York Mortgage Agency and low-income housing tax credits syndicated by First Sterling.
Additional financing partners include the New York State Housing Trust Fund through the Division of Housing and Community Renewal and the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York. The town of Esopus and Birchez also contributed to the deal. —Donna Kimura for Affordable Housing Finance; Photo: John Halpern
Developer: Birchez Associates, LLC
Architect: Kurzon Architects
Major Funders: New York State Housing Finance Agency; First Sterling; New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal; State of New York Mortgage Agency; Federal Home Loan Bank of New York; the Town of Esopus
Affordable, sustainable senior housing in Kingston
Saturday, July 10th, 2010By: Beth Croughan for YNN News, Hudson Valley
KINGSTON, N.Y. — “We’ve met lots of friends, we have lots of fun.” click here for the video
Clara McGill has lived at the Birches at Chambers with her husband for the past two months. And her experience has been more than she expected. ”I’ve rented most of my life and I’ve never seen anything so beautiful, it’s beautiful. And it has everything,” McGill said.
Everything, for just about $770 a month. The 66-unit apartment complex is one of Ulster County’s newest in affordable housing.
“People’s incomes have dropped who perhaps have put money away for retirement and perhaps they’re forced out of their houses or apartments because they can’t pay market rent. People are living longer and the baby boomers are coming of age. So it’s a significant need,” said Steve Aaron of Birchez Associates.
And while the newest of Steve Aaron’s four affordable senior housing complexes tries to fill that need, it also aims to meet others. According to Michael Colgrove, a representative from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, “this building will use about 25 percent less energy then had it been built with normal construction practices.”
The main building in the complex was recognized as being a New York Energy Smart building. It also qualifies for Platinum LEED certification, which is the highest achievement in sustainable construction. ”Which makes it a building that has been adhering to best practices is the type of mechanical equipment that’s used. For example the boiler is high efficiency boiler that modulates, it has a brain to it so to speak,” said Joseph Malcarne, an energy consultant.
The building also features a radiant heating system in the floors and plans are in place to install solar panels to heat the buildings water supply and offset some electricity costs.
“This construction shows that it can be done, you can meet the highest standards of environmental construction while still building affordable housing,” said Ulster County Executive Mike Hein.
And for resident Clara McGill, green meant much more than just lowering her electric costs.
“The trees, the flowers, everything is so beautiful,” McGill said.
Resident Profile: Gerald Haskin
Monday, July 5th, 2010
TOWN OF ULSTER, NY, July 1, 2010– When you ask Gerald Haskin about his life, you’ll get a lot of information in return: he’s worked plenty of jobs since growing up in Mayville, NY, including working for the Grange League Federation (or GLF, which later became Agway), selling cars, delivering mail, selling life insurance, and even firing the boiler of a milk factory. He’s fathered five children with his wife of 64 years, with whom he shares an apartment in The Birches at Chambers. And there’s the Purple Heart he earned while serving in the Pacific Theater during World War II.
Of course, while he tells you all of this, Gerald says, with general understatement, that it’s a “pretty uneventful life.”
These days, Gerald takes things a bit slower. A few years ago he underwent an operation to remove calcium deposits in his lower vertebrae, a problem that was keeping him from getting around on his feet too well. While he’s still not as quick as he used to be, Gerald is finding his apartment’s close proximity to the building’s amenities quite convenient. “We ended up on the second floor,” he says. “With the laundry room, the elevator, and the trash room all close by.”
Gerald and his wife moved to the Hudson Valley area about five years ago to be closer to their daughter, son, and grandson, all of whom live in the area. Prior to moving into The Birches at Chambers, the couple lived in a senior housing development in Kingston. While it was a nice place to live, Gerald says that the building’s age drove the utility costs way too high.
“It was about 40 to 50 years old,” he says of his old home. “And it had those old metal windows. And 40 or 50 years ago, they were probably a great thing. Back then nobody worried about what was going to happen to them 30 or 40 years later, with keeping them up. So when the wind blew outside, you felt it. The air conditioning system was that old and the heat was the old electric baseboard on the floor. We ended up with an electric bill of $250 a month.”
But now he’s living in a new apartment—and it’s brand new, which is one of the best things about living at The Birches.
“My son, he said, ‘oh, you’ll like it,’” recalls Gerald of hearing about The Birches at Chambers. “‘You’ve got about just as much room as you had in the other place, and it’s all new, so you can’t lose. And you won’t have a $250 electric bill!’ he adds with a laugh. The Birches at Chambers average electric bills are closer to a tenth of what Gerald used to spend – and the heat’s included in the rent.
Brian Rubin for Birchez Associates, birchezassociates@gmail.com