Solstice Commons Site Plan Approved by Planning Commission

By ERIC SANTOMAURO-STENZEL
ONEONTA

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.

Around half of the units are planned to be available to individuals earning less than 70 percent of the Area Median Income and the other half for individuals with Serious Mental Illness, according to project documents. Plans include 41 one-bedroom units, 20 two-bedroom units, and 88 parking spaces.

According to 2020 census data, the City of Oneonta’s median household income in 2024 dollars is $61,111.00. Its poverty rate was 16.6 percent.

“I think the Planning Commission worked very hard” to be transparent, Nealon said. She added that she has “great respect” for the commission’s detailed process.

That process has included a range of questions and RSS engaging with various city agencies since the application was filed in September. RSS has made alterations to its proposal in recent months stemming from those comments and deliberations.

“There have been multiple requests that have been made by the Planning Board and Delaware Engineering that are not required by code,” Planning Commission Chair Marcela Micucci said prior to the vote. “RSS is going above and beyond to accommodate our suggestions, revisions and recommendations.”

Exchanges posted on the Planning Commission’s website between Oneonta’s code enforcement and civil engineer Shelby Vakiener of LaBella Associates, who is working on the project, detail some of those changes.

According to the March letter from Vakiener, standpipes and fire alarm annunciators will now be included in stairwells; Knox boxes, which allow emergency services to access secure areas quickly, will be installed; accessibility areas of refuge will be included in at least two of three stairwells; and lease agreements will prohibit e-bike storage inside the building. RSS also met with City Transportation Director David Hotaling in March, and is moving forward to develop plans for a new bus stop on the south side of River Street. Further, “RSS will work with the City [Department of Public Works] to determine a cost sharing plan for restoration” of West Broadway, which will need to be dug up for water and sewer line connections to the project.

Next steps will be more granular, Nealon said. “In order to submit plans, we had to have those big picture items like code compliance,” and now “we get down to faucets and locks on doors.” RSS will also be addressing areas like hours of construction. Nealon encouraged residents with questions to reach out.

The site plan approval comes after months of public meetings, resistance and support, correspondence, and meetings between RSS and various city departments. Lawn signs both in support and opposition to the project have popped up around the city, and the project became a campaign issue in last November’s mayoral race.

Some of that disagreement was present in the crowd of around 25 at Wednesday’s meeting. Prior to the vote, one community member seated in the auditorium crowd began expressing concerns about hours of construction.

“We are not open to public comment,” Micucci said.

“Bull****!” another audience member shouted in response. “Why’d you invite us here?”

“All Planning Commission meetings are open to the public,” Micucci replied.

“We did hold a public hearing where we gave everyone ample opportunity to express their feelings,” Micucci said, referring to a February 24 hearing that allowed written comment submission until March 10.

Asked about engagement with those hesitant or opposed to the project, Nealon said, “I just continue to be transparent and honest and talk about the direct experiences I’ve had in building safe, affordable, and supportive housing throughout the state.”