Solstice Commons Site Plan Approved by Planning Commission
By ERIC SANTOMAURO-STENZELONEONTA
The City of Oneonta Planning Commission unanimously approved the site plan for Rehabilitation Support Services’ proposed Solstice Commons housing project at its meeting on April 15, held at the Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center. The commission also declared that the project would not have a negative environmental impact. Now, RSS will move into a design process.
The resolution approving the site plan notes that the Solstice Commons project advances Planning Commission priorities enshrined in city code, including “the need to support the expansion of the local economy and need to increase housing opportunities and the need to protect the quality of existing districts.”
Representing a “significant financial investment in the currently vacant property,” the resolution said Solstice Commons will offer affordable housing opportunities to local residents with supportive housing for those suffering from mental illness. It further states that the project conforms with permitted uses for its zoning, and that sufficient steps are planned for protecting the overall district, in part with natural screening and placing parking away from other residential properties.
“Obviously, we are not starting construction tomorrow. There are many, many, many steps before that can happen,” RSS Director of Strategic Partnerships Christine Nealon said in an interview. But the site plan approval “is a significant step toward completing this incredible opportunity for Oneonta, for Otsego County, and for all of its residents.”
The affordable housing project, located at 164 River Street, is planned to be three stories tall and contain about 61 units. Plans place the building on the northern 3.2-acre portion of the approximately 6.5-acre tax parcel, with a subdivision on the south side.
