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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.

Woodstock Generation Goes Gray

Monday, September 13th, 2010

Aging mid-Hudson boomers face big challenges

Times Herald-Record 9/12/2010 By Chris Mckenna

Photo caption: Sherrie and Fred DeBergh of Warwick, active baby boomers who love to participate in outdoor sports, go for a paddle in Wawayanda State Park in New Jersey.

As a huge number of Americans born between 1946 and 1964 reach retirement age, local and national governments fear services will be stretched too thin.

Photo credit: JOHN DeSANTO/Times Herald-Record

Earlier this month, a graying Crosby, Stills and Nash strolled onto the stage at Sullivan County’s Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, site of the famous Woodstock festival they performed at 41 years earlier, and treated their equally graying audience to some old chestnuts.

“Teach,” they crooned, “your children well.”

Sound advice, indeed; but their fans have a different set of concerns these days.

America’s baby boomers, the large generation that began after World War II and came of age in the Woodstock era, are nearing retirement age.

A group whose ’60s soundtrack included rebellious lines like “Hope I die before I get old” will soon qualify for senior-citizen discounts at the movie theater.

The aging of 79 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964 poses a host of challenges, such as: How will Social Security and Medicare taxes keep pace with the swelling ranks of retirees? And if large numbers of 60-somethings decide to stay put in their jobs instead of retiring, will they limit employment prospects for younger people?

In the Hudson Valley and Catskills, the rising ranks of the almost-old could exacerbate local problems that already are percolating, including the need for more affordable housing and public transportation. It could also intensify resistance to New York’s high property taxes.

Beware of 2015

Consider the looming demographic bulge: In 1990, about 73,000 people, or less than 13 percent of the population, were in the 50-64 age range in Orange, Ulster and Sullivan counties in New York and Pike County, Pa., according to the Census Bureau.

By 2008, more than 130,000 people, or 19 percent of the population, were in that age group.

“2015 is the year that everything is going to explode,” says Ann Marie Maglione, director of Orange County’s Office for the Aging. “The senior population is going to be bursting at the seams.”

Already, Maglione said, home health aides are scarce. Will that shortage make it harder for tomorrow’s seniors to stay in their homes? Will there be enough nursing-home beds for those who need long-term care or rehabilitation? And what effect will ballooning Medicaid costs for such services have on state and county budgets?

For many boomers, the golden years may not be as restful as they used to be. Since the mid-1990s, more Americans have continued working past age 65 — a trend that today’s weak economy and the collapse of retirement accounts is certain to continue.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the percentage of people ages 65 to 74 in the labor force will leap by 83.4 percent from 2006 to 2016.

Need for affordable housing

Working or not, empty nesters who want to downsize and lighten their property-tax burden may have trouble finding cheaper, smaller homes in the Hudson Valley and Catskills.

A study released last year that analyzed housing prices and incomes in three neighboring counties calculated that nearly 10,000 affordable houses and apartments should be built in Orange County by 2015 to keep pace with demand. Ulster County will need 6,000 new units in that time, the study said.

The thirst for affordable senior housing is so great that when construction of The Birches at Chambers in the Town of Ulster began in 2009, its 66 future apartments were already claimed. And those openings barely made a dent in the 400-person waiting list next door at the Chambers Court complex.

For the full article, part of the Times Herald-Record’s coverage of the Boomer Boom series, click here

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…

The next phase for Birchez Associates

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

Aaron’s Birchez Associates opens fifth affordable housing facility in Ulster

Kingston Times, July 15, 2010 By Carrie Jones Ross Pictured Below Right: Library/Game Room at The Birches at Chambers

The enigma stealing sleep from the burgeoning legion of baby boomers – “Where can I afford to live when I retire? Will it be safe? Will it be clean? Will I be lonely?” – just got a little easier to figure out.

Dignitaries from the county and state joined other people of influence and three full tents of perspiring seniors during last Thursday’s oppressive heat wave to cut the ribbon commemorating some 75 seniors (62 and older) moving into the fully sustainable and LEED-certified 66 newly-constructed, 600+ square-foot apartments at Birches at Chambers on Maple Lane in the Town of Ulster. Chambers is fifth in a line of desperately-needed affordable housing projects in Ulster County built by developer Steve Aaron; his previous projects include Chambers Court, Birches at Esopus, Birches at Saugerties and Birchwood Village. The $16 million complex will be the first platinum-rated LEED-certified project of its kind in Ulster County.

Imagine paying a fixed monthly rent between $596 and $721 for a one-bedroom apartment. What would you get? Well-lit, freshly-carpeted halls with security cameras? Laundry rooms furnished with handicapped-accessible, brand-new machines for the long-gone bargain price of $1 a wash on every floor? A secure computer room with four flat-screen panel monitors? A free gym filled with new machines and classes just an elevator ride away? A beautifully furnished library with games and a community room with a kitchen and French doors leading to a patio? Media room with kitchenette? Would you expect beautifully kept grounds with a full-time groundskeeper and state-of-the-art security? In all likelihood, no, but Aaron’s new project promises all those amenities.

The community was designed for those who earn less than 60 percent of the area median income (currently $29,480 for a single person). The shift to friendlier colloquialisms reflects our slowly evolving views on affordable housing. Aaron emphatically concurred with the opening ceremonies speech given by County Executive Mike Hein when he stated, “It’s not about bricks and mortar, it’s about people – dignified housing for people.”

Aaron explained that his company has been dedicated to answering seniors’ and working families’ mounting housing crisis and has “gotten a little smarter” with each project. “We didn’t start off wondering what to do to be LEED-compliant,” Aaron explained. “But we found that we were already doing all that anyway.”

Birches at Esopus and Saugerties got the ball rolling forward with Energy Star appliances and energy-efficient radiant floor heat. Aaron took the Birches at Chambers project all the way, by including even more things like 97 percent-efficient Swiss-made boilers to accommodate the smart-design European heating system and solar hot water heaters. There are also energy recovery units recycling air through HEPA filters also pouring into a series of cooling condensers for air conditioning, eliminating the potentially harmful bacteria that collect in vents and ducts and saving big money for residents on extra-tight incomes.

Birchez is also referred to as “phase two”, conjoining the 2005-built Chambers Court community, oriented for 55 and older active lifestyle seniors. Aaron broke ground for Birches at Chambers in February 2009 to build the facility for residents with mobility issues. A community dining hall is in the works, at which point Birches at Chambers may likely go in the direction of assisted living, he said. Each apartment does have a kitchen (equipped with Energy Star appliances), however, those residents who do not cook rely upon the Meals on Wheels program.

Elant Home Health Care has an office in Birches and holds twice-weekly wellness clinics. ”We meet with the families, and if they opt for services we link with their primary practioner and devise care plans,” Elant health coordinator Kelly Ketcham explained. The goal, Ketcham stressed, is, “to keep people in their home setting, prevent hospitalizations and nursing home placements.” She added, “I do this for my head and heart, because that’s what I would want done for me.”

Aaron, who sits in good company on the executive committee of the Ulster County Housing Consortium, has his eyes on the horizon line of several locations including Fishkill, New Paltz and Ellenville. Aaron recently also submitted a building proposal in the Town of Rosendale in response to their request for affordable senior housing.

A myriad of agencies came together to make the building possible, including Enterprise Community Investments who notably found investors to actually finance portions of the project during this tight-fisted economy. One such financier was the “Oracle of Omaha” – Warren Buffett, who according to Aaron, has been financing affordable housing for years.

It did not come together without some issues, though. Aaron, who supported and employed former Town of Ulster supervisor Nick Woerner, got into a dispute earlier this year over alleged safety issues at Chambers Phase II with the town board led by the man who beat Woerner, Supervisor James Quigley. The spat held up the project’s temporary certificate of occupancy, which held up some of the first residents’ moving-in dates. Charges and counter-charges flew between Aaron and Quigley, but the dispute was resolved on March 31, allowing residents to claim their apartments.

They love it here

A group of residents rested in the bright, crisp entrance room from the day’s oppressive heat during the ribbon-cutting and subsequent luncheon, talking excitedly in a group about their appreciation of the new facility. Resident Clara McGill said that she always enjoyed visiting Kingston as a place to shop and dine, but never before considered living there until Birches at Chambers was built. “I have rented most of my life, and I have never seen anything like this place. It’s incredible here. Sometimes I even feel guilty for having this place,” McGill said. Lifelong Kingston resident “Mary” agreed. “We have fallen into a gold mine here. It was a little rough in the beginning, but I don’t think we could ask for a better place to live. The amenities are incredible.”

The residents commented on how often they see Aaron and his wife Judy, and how easily they can communicate with the couple. They love the decor (for which Judy is responsible), the fitness studio, their apartments (“It’s beautiful!” they crooned), and asked the Kingston Times to put out a message of sincere thanks to everyone on their behalf; to the Aarons, groundskeepers, maintenance and security.

To discuss the article in Ulster Publishing’s forum, click here and scroll to the bottom of the article.

Alfred A. DelliBovi Honored on the Floor of the U.S. House of Representatives

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

Hinchey honors FHLBNY for its Affordable Housing Program

NEW YORK, July 15 Forbes.com – Since 1990, the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York has provided more than $220 million in grants to more than 750 affordable housing initiatives across New York State through its Affordable Housing Program (“AHP”). These projects have helped create, rehabilitate or preserve more than 30,000 affordable homes for low-income families, seniors and the workforce across the Empire State, and have generated more than $3.5 billion in total development costs for local economies. On July 8, at the dedication ceremony of The Birches at Chambers, a state-of-the art, affordable senior living community in Ulster, New York, which was partially funded by the AHP, Federal Home Loan Bank of New York President and CEO Alfred A. DelliBovi was honored by Congressman Maurice Hinchey (NY-22) for the Bank’s contributions to affordable housing.

“Under the guidance of president and CEO Alfred A. DelliBovi since 1992, the Federal Home Loan Bank ofNew York has helped community lenders across New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands advance housing and community growth,” Congressman Hinchey said in a statement for theCongressional Record.

In his comments at the event, Mr. DelliBovi thanked Congressman Hinchey for his continued support of affordable housing initiatives across New York’s 22nd District. The AHP has been especially active in the 22nd District, supporting 51 projects with grants of more than $18 million, helping to create nearly 2,300 affordable homes.

Federal Home Loan Bank of New York

The Federal Home Loan Bank of New York is a Congressionally chartered, wholesale Bank. It is part of the Federal Home Loan Bank System, a national wholesale banking network of 12 regional, stockholder-owned banks. The FHLB of New York currently serves over 330 financial institutions in New Jersey, New York,Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The mission of the Federal Home Loan Banks is to support the efforts of local members to help provide financing for America’s homebuyers.

CONTACT: Eric Amig
(212) 441-6807
Brian Finnegan
(212) 441-6877

SOURCE Federal Home Loan Bank of New York

Affordable, sustainable senior housing in Kingston

Saturday, July 10th, 2010

By: 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.

Senior complex dedicated in Ulster

Friday, July 9th, 2010

By Michael Novinson, Times Herald-Record, 7/9/2010

ULSTER — Boca on the Hudson?

Between a 50-seat movie theater with plush, reclining seats, a fitness studio with a trainer certified in physical therapy, and a mahogany-paneled game room that looks and presumably smells like the library from the board game Clue, The Birches at Chambers seems like an elegant, exclusive community.

“I feel like I live in Florida again, except that the ocean isn’t nearby,” said Birches resident Margrit Salimone, who spent 23 years in the Sunshine State.

But The Birches at Chambers, in the Town of Ulster, isn’t an affluent, gated community — it’s an affordable senior housing complex, with monthly rents ranging from $331 to $862. The $16 million complex has 14 two-bedroom apartments, 52 one-bedroom apartments and about 75 residents.

U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, state Sen. John Bonacic and Ulster County Executive Michael Hein spoke at the formal dedication of The Birches at Chambers on Thursday, but the complex was filled long before then. In fact, the complex was fully rented by the February 2009 groundbreaking ceremony, thanks to a 400-person waiting list at the adjacent Chambers Court, said Birches founder Steve Aaron.

People 62 or older — or under that age with a disability — with an annual gross income of less than $29,480 for a single person can live in The Birches at Chambers.

Even though the complex is Aaron’s fifth affordable living community to open in the past half-decade, he doesn’t plan on stopping now. Several dedication speakers mentioned a proposed senior complex in Fishkill.

At The Birches, no detail is left unpolished. Chambers resident Candy Belles said fellowresidents were unnerved by footsteps outside their rooms late at night. To quell their fears, Aaron had his security guards don bright yellow T-shirts.

“We’ve added years to these folks’ lives,” Aaron said.

mnovinson@th-record.com Photo: Candy Belles and Rabbi Yitzchok Hecht share a laugh in Belles’ new apartment at The Birches at Chambers in the Town of Ulster on Thursday. A dedication ceremony took place earlier at the state-of-the-art senior living community. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record also credit for introductory photo.

Community Dedication Ceremony at The Birches at Chambers, Town of Ulster

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

On Thursday, July 8th, 2010, Senator Bonacic attended and spoke at The Birches at Chambers Community Dedication Ceremony. The Birches at Chambers is a state-of-the-art, affordable senior living community located in the Town of Ulster.

L-R: Joel Brink, Town of Ulster Councilman, Hon. Alfred A. DelliBovi, Congressman Maurice Hinchey, Senator John J. Bonacic, Steven L. Aaron, Michael Colgrove from NYSERDA, Josh Aaron, Judy Aaron, Joseph Malcarne and Bryan Smith from Rhinebeck Savings Bank.

Source: http://www.nysenate.gov/district/42 State Senator John J. Bonacic’s website; picture under photo and videos tab

Birchez opens latest affordable senior housing community

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

Mid-Hudson News Network, Thursday, July 8, 2010

KINGSTON – It was very hot outdoors, but that didn’t deter the excitement Thursday during an open house for The Birches at Chambers, affordable senior housing complex.

Birchez Associates opened the newest addition to the complex, 66 apartments for those 62 and older earning 60 percent of the area’s median income, which $29,480 for a single person.

“We have rents that are down to $300 and $400 because we performing a public service,” said Steve Aaron, founder and managing partner of Birchez Associates.

The Birches at Chambers is located a few blocks off Albany Avenue in the Town of Ulster, and the Birches at Esopus opened about a year ago. The Birches of Saugerties was completed in 2006.

“This is an amazing facility that’s unparalleled in affordable senior housing. And without a doubt it needs to be replicated throughout the rest of the county,” said Hector Rodriguez, Ulster County legislator, deputy chairman of the economic development committee, which also includes housing.

Photo credit: Mid-Hudson News Network

Despite the sour economy, America’s baby boomers are rapidly aging into retirement, and Rodriguez said there must be a constant focus to ensure more facilities like this one are available.

Now is the time when we need the eye toward the future,” he said.
Clara McGill has live here for two months after moving from Wappingers Falls.

“It something I never expected,” she said. “For renting, I never dreamed of finding a place like this. I’ve met lots of friends. I think it’s going to be great.”

The Birches at Chambers Affordable Senior Community in Kingston Hosts Dedication on July 8

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Hudson Valley Green Sheet July 7, 2010,

Posted By Nancy Meyer

KINGSTON–On Thursday, July 8, the residents of The Birches at Chambers invite the public to the dedication of the newest community of Birchez Associates LLC. The residents will show off their new homes and Birchez Associates will demonstrate what affordable housing can achieve.

Some 200 or more people are expected, including Congressman Maurice Hinchey and other political leaders, to salute the debut of the company’s newest 66-apartment community in the Town of Ulster. The main building qualifies for Platinum LEED Certification, the highest possible achievement in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification process. With the addition of The Birches at Chambers to the family, Birchez has reached a significant milestone of helping over 300 economically qualified seniors to live in energy efficient buildings with outstanding lifestyle amenities, the company reports.

The event will include green building announcements; exhibits will include sustainable building, senior amenities, health & wellness, and rental opportunities and affordability guidelines. Tours will be given to members of the media.

This event will place the spotlight on a public-private sector formula that shows what developers can do to enhance the quality of life for seniors. Birchez Associates’ communities provide affordable opportunities in buildings styled for these citizens.