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Citizen Advocates, Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer James D. Button addresses attendees Wednesday at the groundbreaking for the Harison Place Project.
Citizen Advocates, Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer James D. Button addresses attendees Wednesday at the groundbreaking for the Harison Place Project.
A local nonprofit has officially broken ground on the Harison Place Project, a $22 million initiative that will add 40 apartments and five commercial spaces in downtown Malone. Citizen Advocates, Inc. (CAI) aims to provide 20 households who have experienced homelessness with on-site supportive services fostering independent living.
New York State Homes and Community Renewal, Citizen Advocates, elected officials, and community leaders gathered Tuesday morning in a ground-breaking ceremony to celebrate the start of construction on a four-story building at Harison Place.
According to a press release from the office of Governor Kathy Hochul, the apartments at Harison Place will be affordable to households earning 60 percent or less of the Area Median Income. Twenty of the apartments will include individualized services funded through the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative and administered by the New York State Office of Mental Health. Services will include mental health services, career and training support, tenant education, financial planning and literacy, life skills, healthcare coordination, addiction prevention, treatment, recovery services, and more.
Street level commercial space is meant for community service organizations and other businesses which complement existing businesses and community needs, the release stated.
The site of the former Gorman Building, and other properties on the block, became a focus for revitalization after fire gutted the historic structure in 2017, resulting in housing insecurity for many of its residents. CAI completed the purchase of the block of buildings, two of which were heavily damaged in a fire in 2020, and the permit to begin demolition at the site was issued in 2021. A final $4.7 million in funding came from New York State Homes and Community Renewal in early 2022.
A crowd gathered for the groundbreaking under a tent on Duane Street for brief addresses by stakeholders and officials next to a pallet of original sandstone from the Gorman building. That stone, and several more pallets, will be incorporated into the design of the new building as a nod to the block’s past.
The building is designed to comply with New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s New Construction Housing Program, as well as nationally-recognized industry standards for energy efficiency and green building practices, including all-electric Energy Star appliances.
“It’s hard to believe we’re here today, after several years of planning and preparation,” CAI President and Chief Executive Officer James Button said. “This is a project that the community rallied behind.”
Button described the long road to groundbreaking, and the necessity for action in downtown Malone, while addressing the crowd.
“Our downtown, like so many others in the North Country, is at a tipping point,” Button said. “What were once great centers of commerce and housing are shadows of their former selves. Nothing was more evident of this fact than the blight of properties than once stood in this now vacant lot.”
Officials from around the state offered their support and congratulations to stakeholders in the Harison Project.
“I want to congratulate Citizen Advocates and the Village of Malone for what’s about to happen here,” said state senator Daniel G. Stec (R-Queensbury). “The vision and the effort has all been generated locally. This is the heart of downtown.”
“Affordable housing is a real issue,” Stec added. “We want to keep our young people here, we want to keep them employed. They need to be able to afford to continue to live here, and there’s just not enough housing stock.”
Gov. Hochul lauded the project in her release.
“All New Yorkers deserve the opportunity to live in homes that fit their needs and provide them with a chance to thrive,” Gov. Hochul said. “Harison Place is a crucial investment in the well-being and health of the community and an important step forward for the Village of Malone and its future growth.”
Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay Lake), said he was enthusiastic about the project since first learning of it in 2017.
“(Citizen Advocates) had a vision for what could be done downtown,” Jones said. “They wanted to revitalize, and they wanted downtown to prosper. This is downtown revitalization, and I believe that it will be contagious.”
According to the release from Gov. Hochul, New York State Homes and Community Renewal funding for Harison Place includes $7.8 million in Low Income Housing Tax Credit equity, $2.9 million from the Supportive Housing Opportunity Program, and $900,000 from the Rural and Urban Community Investment Fund. Empire State Development awarded $445,000 from the Consolidated Funding Program, and NYSERDA will provide $40,000 in support. The Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance will also provide $4.8 million from the Homeless Housing and Assistance Program. Citizen Advocates provided $4 million to fund the project and the Federal Home Loan Bank provided $600,000.
“For some, this is blight removal. For others it’s economic development,” said Button. “For Citizen Advocates and this community, Harison Place is a monument. It’s a monument to those who have dreams, those who persist, and those who make dreams a reality. We’re excited.”
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