The Partial Observer by Christine Nealon

The Time Is Now! Why the RSS Proposal for 27 Market Street Is the Right Move for Oneonta

On Tuesday, May 6, the Oneonta Common Council has an opportunity to cast a vote that will shape the city’s future. We encourage the council to say “yes” to progress, to affordability, to inclusiveness, and to an Oneonta that works for everyone.

Rehabilitation Support Services (RSS) is the only entity that has stepped up with a comprehensive plan to transform and revitalize the vacant parcel at 27 Market Street. Our proposal includes a mixed-use, professionally managed building with 47 energy-efficient apartments available to those earning 30–70 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI); first-floor commercial space that will energize downtown; and 30 on-site parking spots. The entire project has been imagined, designed, and developed with direct input from residents, local stakeholders, and city leaders through a proactive and transparent public outreach effort that has incorporated hundreds of people.

This proposal honors the architectural integrity of downtown, brings jobs and energy to the business district, generates revenue for the city, and offers permanent, affordable homes to the people who need them most. It is not a shelter. It is not transitional housing. It is stable, supportive, and professionally managed. It is aligned with the city’s long-term revitalization goals and consistent with the community values upheld time and again in this city.

The vision RSS is offering is informed, inclusive and ready to go. It’s grounded in extensive planning, a deep understanding of housing policy and years of experience as a mission-driven nonprofit developer with a proven track record not just here in Oneonta, but across New York State.

Over the last 18 months, we’ve engaged with Oneonta’s workforce, service providers, college graduates, business owners and longtime residents. Their voices are at the heart of this proposal. From graduating nursing students and social workers who want to stay in Oneonta but can’t afford rent, to longtime residents concerned about parking who became supportive once they learned the facts, this project reflects the broad spectrum of lived experiences in our community.

These are voices rooted in reality and not fear, misinformation or conjecture.

The affordable housing crisis is not a future problem. It’s a present one. Oneonta has a choice: Move forward with a plan that addresses it, or delay until the opportunity disappears.

We sometimes hear, “It’s not the right time.” If not now, when? The longer we wait, the more we risk losing talented young professionals, frontline workers and families who are the backbone of Oneonta’s local economy. The longer we wait, the more we invite disinvestment and stagnation. Thoughtful progress requires action, not paralysis.

And this is thoughtful progress.

RSS has been proud to partner with the City of Oneonta for nearly 40 years. This project is a natural extension of that partnership. We don’t simply build buildings; we build relationships. We create access to housing, wellness, and opportunity for people who want to live, work, and thrive in Oneonta. We were here yesterday, are here today, and will be here tomorrow, working in lockstep with the community to nurture and advance this special place we call home.

The options for 27 Market Street are clear: a $25 million investment in downtown, creation of affordable housing for local residents, and an economic catalyst for the city, or—as shared in a recent meeting to consider alternative proposals—a parking lot.

We urge the Common Council to invest in Oneonta’s citizens and future, and approve the purchase of 27 Market Street by RSS.

Christine Nealon is director of strategic partnerships for Rehabilitation Support Services.