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The Birches at Chambers receives LEED Platinum certification

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

KINGSTON, N.Y. 07/11/2011– An affordable housing complex for seniors has received a big award for its leadership in energy. The Birches at Chambers has received the LEED platinum certification.

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally-recognized green building certification system. The founder and managing partner of Birchez and Associates says he wants to make people aware of what the LEED program is all about.

“To celebrate LEED, but also give the important people that attended the event an opportunity to talk about the environment, health, health for seniors. How a healthy building is important for seniors, especially those aging in place,” said Steven Aaron, founder and managing partner of Birchez Associates.

The Birches at Chambers is just one of only two places of its kind on the East Coast.

To view the YNN broadcast, click here.

Centenarian William McDonough Honored

Sunday, May 8th, 2011

Chambers Court resident William McDonough’s 100th birthday won’t be until November 23, 2011, but the celebration has already begun. Bill was honored at the Ulster County Centenarian luncheon organized by the Office for the Aging on Friday, May 6th, 2011, held at the Hillside Manor, sponsored in part by Birchez Associates.

County Executive Mike Hein presented Bill and 16 other centenarians with a proclamation; each birthday “boy or girl” also received certificates from State Senator John Bonacic and Assemblyman Kevin Cahill. The photo to the left shows Mike Hein handing Bill his own proclamation.

Ann Cardinale, head of Ulster County’s Office for the Aging, remarked on the growing number of centenarians country wide and that this year’s recognition represented the largest class ever. The oldest recognized this year is 106 years young.

Ms. Cardinale also presented some of the qualities that lead to such longevity including a positive attitude. This certainly characterizes Bill McDonough, a gentleman who continues to live on his own with the assistance of his loyal caretaker Dorothea Schwenk (also a Chambers Court resident and pictured with Bill in the photo to the left). Bill still votes in person; although he said maybe this year he’d consider an absentee ballot he’d prefer to go to the polls.

Birchez Associates salutes Bill and looks forward to celebrating with him throughout his 100th year. Chambers Court, the first of Birchez Associates affordable senior communities, opened in the town of Ulster in 2004/. As with all of the company’s communities, it is designed to help seniors live successful, independent lives of quality as they age in place. Adjacent to the company’s latest community, The Birches at Chambers, Chambers Court residents now enjoy all the amenities of the latest community, including a fitness studio with trainer who specializes in senior exercise, a media room — a small state of the art theater, library/game room, crafts room and more, all at no cost to the residents.

Case Study in Excellence: The Birches at Esopus

Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

New York, NY: The New York State Association for Affordable Housing (NYSAFAH) honored Birchez Associates’ affordable senior community, The Birches at Esopus, as Case Study in Excellence at a reception and presentation held in New York City at the REBNY (Real Estate Board of New York) headquarters.

Already recognized by NYSAFAH as Project of the Year — Upstate for 2010, The Birches at Esopus served as a case study in successful public and private partnership, innovative financing, and green energy efficiencies. At its ribbon cutting, the community was also acknowledged as an Energy $mart Building by NYSERDA, in part because 70% of domestic hot water and 30% of the heat comes from solar thermal panels. Further, The Birches at Esopus was one of four national finalists for Senior Project of the Year in Affordable Housing Magazine.

The panel (shown to the right) was introduced by Jay Seiden, Seiden & Schein, PC, and comprised Birchez Associates Founder & Managing Member, Steven L. Aaron, The Honorable John Coutant, Supervisor of the Town of Esopus, John Kelly, Esq. of Nixon Peabody, Marian Zucker of New York State Homes & Community Renewal, Peter King representing the Federal Home Loan Bank – NY, and Rita Wyatt Esq., principal of Wyatt & Co. Judy Wells Aaron and K.J. McIntyre both of Birchez Associates also participated in the presentation. Available for the Q&A were the Town of Esopus clerk, Diane L. McCord, town council member Gloria VanVliet and chair of the planning board Roxanne Pecora (shown in the lower left photo from right to left).

Key topics introduced both by panel participants and the audience included:

Finding financing for affordable housing projects and how that has changed in today’s economic market

Creating market rate amenities to both attract residents and to fulfill aging in place goals

Structuring a public – private partnership and the political courage it takes to succeed in bringing quality affordable housing to a community

Changing environment in the now combined DHCR and nyhomes, now New York State Homes and Community Renewal

Attendees included developers, financiers, architects, attorneys and other members of NYSAFAH.

Redefining Affordable

Monday, November 15th, 2010

Kingston, 11-10 by Kim Plummer

Over the past few years there has been a dramatic decrease in the number of affordable housing developments being built throughout New York State. For aging boomers seeking affordable housing, the key is to start looking early, do your homework, and reach out to local agencies, sources say.

Ken Harris, senior policy analyst for New York Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (NYAHSA) says the decline in this sort of housing can be attributed to increased costs and zoning issues. “A lot of housing that needs to go through zoning changes is finding opposition from neighbors in many cases,” Harris says. “It’s a recent trend that’s difficult.” . . .

When looking for affordable senior housing, one should keep in mind that affordable housing can still be very competitive with market-rate housing as far as amenities go. A lot of people believe the more you pay, the more services you get, but that’s not always the case, Harris says.

Housing is unique; amenities, transportation services, and communities vary quite a bit, even in the realm of affordable housing units. Harris suggests people do their homework when searching for affordable housing; one element he finds particularly important to seniors is an onsite service coordinator.

“The service coordinator is sort of like a linchpin between the resident and services in the community,” Harris says. “They can help the resident find resources in the community – everything from Medicare, Medicaid, help with information, and supportive health services.”

Currently, The Birches at Chambers in Ulster and the Birches at Esopus in Ulster Park are two ADA-compliant, affordable housing facilities resembling market-rate housing. Amenities in the average rental price of about $750 per month include fitness trainers in the onsite fitness studio, a movie theater, community rooms, a library, fully equipped computer labs with Internet access, and craft rooms. Additionally, The Birches at Chambers is anticipating LEED Platinum certification and has been certified as a NYUSERDA Energy $mart Building. “It’s not what people expect to see for affordable housing,” says K.J. McIntyre, director of marketing for Birchez Associates, LLC.

Most recently, Birchez Associates has received initial funding from the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York to build affordable senior housing onto the Elant campus, a nursing home in Fishkill. This will be another ADA-compliant facility. “With the service of Elant close at hand, we can offer additional home health and nursing care as needed, while our residents continue to live in their homes, as opposed to the nursing home environment,” McIntyre says.

Birchez Associates also owns and manages two additional affordable senior housing communities. Chambers Court, completed in 2004, provides cottage-style one- and two-bedroom apartments adjacent to The Birches at Chambers in Ulster. The Birches at Saugerties is another affordable senior community completed in 2006 with 60 garden-style apartments. . . .

Seniors who need assistance finding affordable housing can contact their local Office for the Aging, where they can be provided with additional consultation about affordable housing as well as Active Adult Communities that specially reserve units for affordable housing.

Photo: The Birches at Esopus

Excerpted from the full article, Affordable Housing Trends: Redefining Affordable, in the Boomer’s Guide to Living 2010 published by Schein Media (Kingston, NY)

The publication is currently available by clicking here.

Scary Stories come to The Birches

Sunday, October 31st, 2010

Ulster, NY 10.29.10 – Chambers School elementary students, all members of the Nature Club, accompanied by Club member Charlotte Adamis and parents walked over after school for a Halloween gathering at the community room of The Birches at Chambers, the senior housing community that adjoins the school property. Greeting the students were residents of both The Birches at Chambers and Chambers Court, many of whom in costume, ready with treats for the students. The students showed off their costumes,chatted with residents and entertained with a scary reading of Scaredy Cat, Splat! by Rob Scotton.

The new book, a recent acquisition to the library, was read without prior rehearsal by two of the students to much laughter and applause. In the picture to the right, club mentor and school librarian Adamis speaks to some of the audience. Even the parents got into the spirit of the event sporting costumes — some scarier than the children’s! The event was one of several intergenerational activities with the neighboring school’s Nature Club.

County Executive Mike Hein Meets with Senior Residents

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

Town of Ulster, 8/30/2010: Mike Hein joined the Senior Residents of The Birches at Chambers in their Community Room for a lively and informative discussion on senior resources and programs that are available through Ulster County. “Too often these resources are untapped, and the people who need them the most don’t know how to tap into services,” said Hein. (Alice is shown to the right of Mike Hein in the lead photo.)

Organizer of today’s event is Alice Tipp, the Senior Advocate for Birchez Associates, who services their four affordable senior communities in Ulster County. Alice works to coordinate services with the over 325 seniors who live at The Birches at Chambers, The Birches at Esopus, The Birches at Saugerties, and Chambers Court. Alice Tipp served as a county legislator for thirty years and is not shy in getting the right resources to “her” residents. “I am delighted that the County Executive took the time to be with us today. His enthusiasm is contagious and I know we all learned a great deal today,” said Ms. Tipp. Also welcoming Mike Hein were Steve and Judy Aaron the principals of Birchez Associates who built and manage The Birches at Chambers.

The Q&A portion of the program hit some topics outside the scope of strictly senior resources. Mike Hein in response to questions about taxes spoke of the need to consolidate services that are now duplicated between towns and the county. Following the formal presentation, the County Executive had the opportunity to speak briefly with many residents. Included was Joe Vanacore, a World War II Vet, who is concerned about the level of veterans’ benefits especially as he is dependent on a wheelchair these days. (Joe was recently featured in the book The Liberators: America’s Witnesses to the Holocaust by Michael Hirsh for his work with General Patton’s Tank Corps in liberating death camps in Germany.)

Harold Schumann, another resident, spent eleven years bouncing from hospitals to nursing homes before finding the appropriate ADA compliant, fully handicapped accessible home at The Birches at Chambers. He spoke to the County Executive about how happy he is now that he’s settled in his own apartment.

The Birchez Associates website, www.Birchez.com, has links on their communities pages to the resources Mike Hein spoke of in the Ulster County Care program, in addition to a variety of senior related, local recreational, historic sites, and more. To visit one of the links pages, click here.

Editor’s Note: Michael P. Hein, Ulster County Executive, was one of the presenters at the dedication of The Birches at Chambers on July 8th. For a video of his remarks, click here.

Esopus senior housing project up for award

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

Published: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 ESOPUS — The Birches at Esopus is one of three developments financed by state of New York housing agencies* to be named finalists in Affordable Housing Finances’ sixth annual Reader’s Choice Awards.

The Birches at Esopus is the first affordable housing community for senior citizens in the town of Esopus and provides 80 energy-efficient apartments for low-income seniors. Units are accessible to people with disabilities, and the development includes outdoor and community space, craft and media rooms, an exercise studio and an on-site nursing program, which provides services like physical and speech therapy, health and wellness programs and health aides.

Nationwide, 33 projects were chosen from 140 nominations on the criteria of community impact, cost-effective or innovative design or construction, and energy-efficient and sustainable development.

The other New York finalists are the Atlantic Avenue Residence, a 107-unit development in Brooklyn; and the 24-unit Nelson Hopkins Apartments, the Elizabeth Pierce Olmsted Center for the Visually Impaired, in Lockport, near Buffalo.

The winners will be announced at the 2010 Affordable Housing Developer’s Summit in November in Chicago. Photo and asterick information added for website.

* nyhomes and DHCR (Division of Housing & Community Renewal)

Going Green: Affordable housing can also be sustainable

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

08/22/2010 12:38 PM YNN for the Hudson Valley by Terry Ettinger

Click here for link to broadcast

Affordable housing can also be sustainable, energy-efficient housing – case in point, a new 66-unit senior citizen apartment complex recently dedicated in Ulster County.“Radiant heat in the floors, 70 percent of our heat and hot water is produced with solar power, a 50 kw photovoltaic electric system, every single apartment is air-blower tested for air infiltration, the air conditioning systems have the highest efficiency ratings available, the heating systems are European in design and they know about saving energy over there because they’ve been paying more than we have. Our boilers, for example, are 97 to 98 percent efficiency,” said Steve Aaron, Managing Member of Birchez Associates. Birchez Associates was able to do this in part by obtaining state grants.

“New York State has a number of programs that help support builders and developers who are interested in trying to provide a sustainable approach to construction. I divide them into two groups; one is at the single- family level (individual homes) and the other is for multi-family homes and building support as well,” said Paul Crovella, Sustainable Construction Management and Engineering, SUNY-ESF.

Paul Crovella teaches sustainable construction management.

“The single-family home, New York State currently has a program for builders interested in going through Energy Star certification for the home. It provides money for the builders to do that and essentially offsets quite a bit of the cost,” said Crovella.

Similar programs are available for multi-family construction like senior citizen housing offering incentives for developers to think green when they’re in the design stage for upgrading the insulation, window quality and the efficiency of the heating plant, like they did at the new Birches at Chambers, and Crovella believes it’s a worthwhile program.

“It makes a lot of sense in that the individual who is building a project like that, if they know they’re not going to be paying the utility bills over the life of the building then they have very little incentive to put in a better window or improve the efficiency,” said Crovella.

Central Hudson’s Almanac Salutes Birchez’ Green Affordable Commitment

Saturday, August 21st, 2010

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).

Worth the Wait: Why Wait Lists Work

Monday, July 19th, 2010

It’s true: the wait lists are long for Birchez Associates’ senior affordable housing communities. But don’t despair! When we have an opening at a property, we go down the list of those who have checked that property on their application. Sometimes the people who are contacted aren’t quite ready to make a move, giving more opportunities to people lower down. For example, an applicant has planned a long visit with fer grandchildren, another applicant needs to sell his home before moving. . .

On top of that, when Birchez has a new property, we reach out to the wait lists at our existing communities. That’s why some people on the waiting list for The Birches at Saugerties were able to find apartments in The Birches at Chambers. And others chose to stay on the wait list at The Birches at Saugerties. No penalty for declining the new property.

Even more important, the wait lists themselves can help create new affordable senior housing. Case in point: New York State agencies can use wait lists as a region’s proof of need when they decide where to allocate funding. The senior population in Ulster County continues to grow, and with it the need for affordable housing grows as well. If local, state, and federal agencies can see hard proof of that need, funding will help fill that gap. New York State Senator John J. Bonacic spoke of the need for affordable housing at the recent dedication of The Birches at Chambers in the town of Ulster. Here are the Senator’s comments click here.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up for the wait list! It may not be as long a wait as you think…