Ellicott Station

Carla Laird can’t wait to move into her new apartment at Ellicott Station. She was the first name called during the lottery on May 2.

After having her own share of life’s struggles, all Laird wants to do is find a place that’s more affordable, safe and friendly.

“There’s a community room, so maybe I’ll get to know other people,” she said.

A resident of Batavia paying rent that’s nearly $1,000 a month, Laird felt blessed to be chosen for Ellicott Station. She drove to Buffalo and was one of only three people to show up for the drawing.

“I’ve been trying so hard for a very long time, and I’m still kinda in shock because people like me never get chosen first for anything, even in school, I never was chosen -- first out of 102 applications. I’ve been praying hard for this to happen, and finally, it did,” she said during an interview with The Batavian. “And on Monday night, I woke up at 3 a.m. from a dream or a sign that I was gonna get this apartment, and I drove all the way to Buffalo for the live lottery, and that’s when they called out number 49, and my name corresponded with it, and it was the very first number that was drawn.

“And I talked to a few of my Christian friends, and they all told me it was God answering my prayers for that apartment. So yea, I’m still in shock a little because, like I said, this doesn’t happen to someone like me. And I’m very happy.”

Laird has worked part-time jobs, as many hours as she could per disability law. She just received good news that she’s been hired as a cashier associate at a travel plaza on the Thruway, and found her letter of congratulations for the apartment in the mail on Saturday.

She needs to return an acceptance letter, and Savarino Companies will complete a background and employment check, she said. But she’s not worried about any of it, as she has a clean record and has been gainfully employed as much as possible.

Another great perk of her new home is that it accepts one small pet. Sophie, her white Shih Tzu, will be her moving-in companion.

“I chose these apartments because I’m on disability, and all my kids are grown, and I can’t afford the rent at my current place or anywhere else, because it’s very expensive. It will help me a lot because of me being on a fixed income, which is extremely low for this market we live in,” she said. “It will serve me better because it will make it more affordable for me to live in my own place, and it’s ADA accessible, and they won’t make me have to choose my small puppy over a place to live like most places do. They also won’t judge me on account of me being on disability. And it looks like it’ll be a very safe place to live.”

Her current living circumstances include a two-bedroom apartment, a shared garage and a single driveway with a neighbor who “tries to intimidate me.” She doesn’t feel very safe at present and looks forward to this new adventure. Her new rent will be $569, which will allow her to accrue some savings, she said.

Laird will turn 50 at the end of this year, and getting a new apartment is the perfect birthday present, she said.

“So it’s gonna be a big and new experience for me for sure,” she said. “But with the support I have from my friends and family, I should be all right.”

Laird has read news articles about Ellicott Station, and related online comments, and can’t help but feel that some people are “degrading” her when they talk about the housing complex and issues surrounding it. There has been a lot of chatter about the new housing complex being built at 50 Ellicott St., Batavia, but most of it has had to do with unfulfilled promises of the developer, Savarino Companies.

Ellicott Station was originally discussed as market-rate housing, which evaporated quickly into workforce housing as being more viable for this area’s needs and economy.

City officials were on board with that, but when the final plan was unrolled, and applications opened for submissions, the complex was for very low to low-income tenants, which came as a surprise to city officials, they said.

Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr. was one of the first to publicly express he was angry and disappointed with that news, not about the tenants moving in, but that developer Sam Savarino didn’t fulfill his end of the perceived promise, he said.

All eight council members sent a letter to state Homes and Community Renewal officials, which funded a portion of the project, asking them to increase the area's median income level. It was at 50 to 60 percent of the area median income (AMI).

“The city of Batavia is requesting that HCR work with us to present a better mix of incomes on the property with apartments that rent for 80 percent and 120 percent AMI,” the letter stated. “We feel that this will encapsulate the workforce housing that we were promised, better align with the city’s vision of the DRI strategy, and still provide affordable housing for residents.”

City Manager Rachael Tabelski has previously described the project as being “a moving target over the last several years.”

“As the developer made various and multiple overtures to funding entities with regard to making the project financially viable. In 2019, the City supported the project’s housing component as being mixed-income that would provide housing for residents that were employed in local manufacturing in an application submitted to New York State Homes and Community Renewal from the developer,” Tabelski had said. “Furthermore, in 2020, it was confirmed that people living at Ellicott Station must be employed and not receiving government assistance."

That mixed-use component has yet to materialize, as a Buffalo brewery ended up pulling out of the deal, and though there was plenty of talk about a restaurant, none have committed, Savarino said during a prior interview.

Rentals have been promoted as being available in May on the complex sign, and by the summer to fall 2023 during interviews. Laird said that she was told it wouldn’t be until sometime between December to February 2024 before she could move in.

Photo of Carla Laird of Batavia, the first person to be selected in a lottery for Ellicott Station, with her dog Sophie, in front of the housing complex on Ellicott Street in Batavia. Photo by Joanne Beck.

Tuesday’s lottery drawing was the next step in the process of filling Ellicott Station with tenants, the new housing complex in downtown Batavia.

The drawing happened in Savarino Companies’ Buffalo office, and The Batavian followed up with company President/CEO Sam Savarino for details about how it went.

More specifically, we asked how many people were chosen, and how many were singles and families, the income levels and if they were all employed, as Savarino had expressed they would be during a prior interview.

He was not sure what information would be “proper to divulge” about the 55 tenants chosen by lottery and on a waitlist, Savarino said Friday.

“So I have to politely decline your request at this time. It was announced at the event that there would be follow-up for qualifying/vetting pursuant to guidelines,” he said. “It was evident that nearly all 55 identified currently reside in Batavia or (in the) immediate environment.”

The lottery was part of an application and selection process for the new one- and two-bedroom housing complex on Ellicott Street. 

According to the application guidelines, income qualifications meet very low levels that, in some cases, are too high for minimum wage earners, making it seem likely that at least some applicants will fall within Section 8 parameters.

City of Batavia management and City Council members sent a letter to Housing and Community Renewal for reconsideration of current income levels set for Ellicott Station, so that higher salary earners (per the median area income) could be eligible to apply for apartments.

Both sides have talked, Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr. said, but no other details have been disclosed. City Manager Rachael Tabelski has not responded to requests for updates related to the issue.

File Photo of Ellicott Station in an earlier phase of construction, by Howard Owens.

All eight City Council members signed a letter Monday night requesting that state Homes and Community Renewal officials work with the city to bump up a portion of the current Area Median Income levels at Ellicott Station.

“The city of Batavia is requesting that HCR work with us to present a better mix of incomes on the property with apartments that rent for 80 percent and 120 percent AMI,” the letter states. “We feel that this will encapsulate the workforce housing that we were promised, better align with the city’s vision of the DRI strategy, and still provide affordable housing for residents.”

Earlier Monday, during council’s business meeting, City Manager Rachael Tabelski referred to a letter that she had provided for council members to review. Apparently, they reviewed and revised the letter after the meeting. The Batavian has asked for additional details about that process and will update this article once responses are received.

Since the first application went in for Ellicott Station, local folks were excited about the prospects of longtime vacant and toxic property along the south side street getting cleaned up, renovated and repurposed. But since its inception in 2016, as City Manager Rachael Tabelski has described it, the project became fairly fluid.

“Ellicott Station has been a moving target over the last several years as the developer made various and multiple overtures to funding entities with regards to making the project financially viable. In 2019, the City supported the project’s housing component as being mixed-income that would provide housing for residents that were employed in local manufacturing in an application submitted to New York State Homes and Community Renewal from the developer,” Tabelski had said. “Furthermore, in 2020, it was confirmed that people living at Ellicott Station must be employed and not receiving government assistance."

City leaders had expressed disappointment about the apartment project’s income levels after The Batavian’s exclusive coverage published on Feb. 18. Application materials made available at Ellicott Station’s website outlined the qualifications for one- and two-bedroom units, many of which had maximum annual salaries at or below minimum wage and seemingly requiring Section 8 assistance.

One example is that two people each earning minimum wage, $14.20 an hour, are not eligible for a two-bedroom apartment at Ellicott Station because they would be earning too much (the maximum household income for two people in a two-bedroom apartment is $34,600, and two people working full-time at $14.20 would gross $59,072).

Developer Sam Savarino has said, in a follow-up interview with The Batavian, that he expects the housing complex to be filled with gainfully employed people, though he had no thorough rationale for the low maximum income levels. He said that the numbers were set a couple of years ago and can be reset once everything is up and operational at Ellicott Station if current salaries have increased.

Here in Batavia, “we would like to be known for innovative housing that has a mix of incomes to preserve our most vulnerable neighborhoods, help citizens, and provide for housing for entry-level manufacturing, service workers, and students,” the city’s letter states. “The City of Batavia, New York State, Brownfield Opportunity Area, and the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) strategy both define the need for downtown housing, including infill construction, upper floor apartments, and a demand for higher income housing, including market-rate housing.”

“When Ellicott Station Project was proposed by Savarino Companies, it was originally a market-rate housing project, however, through several financing iterations, Savarino Companies worked with HCR to finance the project. The city discovered that at the time of application, Savarino Companies applied to HCR for a mixed-income housing model but was directed by local HCR representatives to only allow residents with 50 percent to 60 percent AMI,” the letter states. “While workforce housing is the goal for the Ellicott StationSavarino Development, that is not the type of tenants that this housing will attract.”

The letter further lays out the compounding issues of the capped 50 to 60 percent Area Median Income and  inflationary wage increases that will not allow working citizens to qualify to live at Ellicott Station, and “only vouchered Section 8 residents will now be able to access this property.”

“This is a fundamental change from the goals for the Ellicott Station project and does not match the BOA or DRI strategies for development of our downtown,” it states.

As a result of this fundamental change, city leaders said they are concerned that:

• Drastically increased wages for entry-level manufacturing and service jobs pay more than what would qualify for this housing complex;
• The project no longer aligns with the City’s DRI and BOA strategies, and it won’t fulfill the City’s need for market rate and workforce housing as determined from various studies;
• Low and very low-income housing — versus mixed-income housing — could set the project up for potential issues contrary to community objectives, including drug, gang, and criminal activity, per proven studies;
• Other DRI communities across the state have received HCR tax credits and rents were allowed to be 80 to 120 percent AMI in some cases — so why not here?

Photo of Ellicott Station in progress at 50 Ellicott St., Batavia, by Howard Owens. 

While city officials have expressed surprise and disappointment about the details of Ellicott Station, developer Samuel Savarino and Steve Hyde, CEO of the county’s Economic Development Center, remain enthusiastic about the possibilities to come along with the 55-unit, low-income apartment complex in Batavia.

During an interview with The Batavian, Savarino was steadfast about tenants being employed and able to pay their rents at the 50 Ellicott St. site.

“Our project is one- and two-bedroom, which I think could be said fits the profile of young workers or working couples,” he said.

The Batavian asked about the maximum income qualifications, per the Ellicott Station application, which in some cases means people making minimum wage wouldn’t qualify for a two-person apartment. Savarino said that those numbers were fixed in 2019, per 50 to 60 percent of the area median income at the time. And they’re not set in stone.

“When things change every year, the income restrictions are reset, just as there are changes in the area median income and what people earn. So, you know, that changes over time. But, I think it really does set at some are 50 and the majority are 60 percent of AMI, right? And that's back in 2019 numbers,” he said. “And the project has to be up and operating before it gets reset. So if wages have gone up in that time, then the income restrictions will go up, and if they’re going down, the income restrictions will go down.”

He isn’t sure why city officials are upset about the low-income qualifications and Section 8 availability, he said, since the project has been geared toward what’s affordable for the Batavia area per a market study from the project's inception. It is true, he said, that Home and Community Renewal’s involvement — which happened when the state entity granted him more than $5 million in tax credits to get the project going — also meant a market study review and conclusion about what would be considered affordable.

“I think we had a market study which looked at … I mean, everybody can maybe look around things and draw their own conclusions. And, you know, a market study is a little more detailed … it's a little more refined, and more scientific with determining what the achievable rents would be and whether there would be people to rent at certain levels. Any market study will do that,” he said. “And if you looked at the application that went in to the unified funding application to Home and Community Renewal, which provides the tax credits, which an investor purchases, and then they provide some financing for the projects, that it was workforce housing, affordable workforce housing.

“And that's consistent with what everybody was saying. It can be reset, but that's what we need to follow … at the suggestion of HCR after they examined the market study. My recollection was that they said, that's where the market was. And that was where the need was.

“I’m not quite sure if there's an Oxford dictionary definition of what is affordable as opposed to workforce, as opposed to low income. You know, it depends. And it may mean different things in different communities,” he said. 

Those terms are used interchangeably, he said. Above all, he envisions working singles and couples, or perhaps seniors on a fixed income, living at Ellicott Station. Given the low-income levels, what’s the chance that many would also require government assistance to make the rent if they qualified for those income levels? Savarino wasn’t familiar with how Section 8 works, he said, but it does work the same as with any other rental. It's illegal to discriminate against a tenant with Section 8 requirements, he said.

His management will be screening applicants to ensure they have a job and can pay rent, he said. Furthermore, he believes they will be “good tenants” living in a good, quality residence with plenty of security cameras, and secured access to the building. The Batavian asked him why the playground was built and promoted if he didn’t think the apartments had the space for children — which he had said during the interview — and it is a mandated requirement, he said.

As for the meanings of workforce, affordable and low income, The Batavian had previously published an article citing the definitions, per the Housing and Urban Development site. Though, in talking to various people regarding this project, those words did seem a bit murkier. Savarino disputed a statement in a prior Batavian article that he had quoted specific, ideal wages of $18 to $20, and also $20 and below. He didn’t recall having said that, though it was captured on a recorder. None of the maximum incomes allow for those wages or even $14 in some cases.

The calculations worked out to take 30 percent of one’s salary for rent and utilities, he said, and leave the remaining 70 percent for other expenses. That means tenants could potentially have disposable income to dine at downtown restaurants or do some shopping, which was one of the original goals of the project, he said.     

The other goals were to include commercial and retail projects at the site, and, due to the lengthy time it took to get going, Resurgence Brewing “timed out” and completed a project in its own neighborhood, Savarino said. He has some interested prospects and is committed to following through with a brewery/restaurant with either an outside company or Savarino Companies itself.

Steve Hyde, president and CEO of Genesee County's Economic Development Center, focused on another aspect of the project — the longstanding and dilapidated defunct buildings at 30-50 Ellicott St. Ellicott Station was designed initially “and continues to contribute to helping achieve the goals of the Batavia Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) and the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI),” he said.

He pulled an excerpt from the DRI application for the Build Ellicott Station Project:

“The DRI program will be a comprehensive approach to boost Batavia’s economy by transforming the downtown into a vibrant neighborhood where the next generation will want to live, work and raise a family.  A key component of the DRI program is to advance strategic private and public investments that will provide catalytic impacts to facilitate downtown revitalization.”

“I believe the Ellicott Station Project, in its current form, continues on this path by making public/private investments, revitalizing a blighted parcel which is helping to transform our downtown into a vibrant neighborhood that offers opportunities for our young adults in the community to live, work, play and raise a family in a significantly upgraded area of downtown Batavia,” Hyde said. “We continue to work closely with Developer Sam Savarino and his team to deliver upon his commitment to construct new, modern, and affordable workforce housing for working residents who have modest incomes across our community.  This is a critical element to downtown revitalization efforts because not only does Ellicott Station renovate a blighted parcel in our downtown but it is building workforce housing units for working residents in the heart of our downtown many of whom would have the opportunity to work at our area businesses which are sorely needed.”

Hyde and Savarino also pointed to the benefit of having nearby housing for employees that businesses are seeking. Without local residents, it has been difficult at times for employers to fill vacancies, Savarino said. It also equips downtown with tenants within walking distance, Hyde said.

“This further strengthens the opportunity for greater success for our Main Street businesses and our local economy.  I confirmed with Developer Sam Savarino last week that his commitment to deliver workforce housing for working residents is priority #1.  The incentives provided by GCEDC to support the comprehensive re-development of this mixed use project did comprehend the 60 percent or less AMI and associated range of incomes contemplated for the workforce housing facility as reflected in our public hearing minutes, the board memoranda and final resolution from our March 2020 Board meeting,” he said. “The net of this is: The GCEDC Board of Directors trusted in Sam Savarino to deliver workforce housing for working residents in an effort to incentivize considerable investment and improvements to transform the biggest eyesore in our downtown into a new mixed-use development.  They continue steadfast in their expectation of Mr. Savarino to honor his commitment to provide high-quality workforce housing for working residents across our community.

He and Savarino look forward to the project’s completion, and neither seems to believe that the income qualifications are too low to bring prosperity to the city of Batavia, per questions asked by The Batavian and the focused answers.

“I personally continue to look forward to the positive benefits provided by the Ellicott Station project which includes offering new apartments to our working residents priced in an affordable fashion that would allow them to live, work and play downtown,” Hyde said. “This will, in my view, help to elevate the staffing availability and success of our area businesses – our Main Street businesses in particular.  That is the promise we continue to expect and the main premise why GCEDC has participated actively in this project over the course of the last eight years.”

Photo: File photo of Sam Savarino at the Ellicott Station groundbreaking by Howard Owens

Since the first application went in for Ellicott Station, local folks were excited about the prospects of longtime vacant and toxic property along the south side street getting cleaned up, renovated and repurposed.

Funding snags delayed the process from 2016 until it finally —literally — began to get off the ground in 2022. A 55-unit “workforce” apartment complex, alongside mixed-use properties of office, restaurant and brewery space, began to take shape at the site of the former electric and Soccio Della Penna buildings at 30-50 Ellicott St., Batavia.

As the apartments are coming to fruition, a bomb was dropped Friday with an online posting of the application, income requirements and related rents for one- and two-bedroom apartments for up to four people. What once was touted as workforce or affordable rentals were now low-income and Section 8.

City Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr. refrained from saying much about the issue before he obtained more information. But he wasn’t pleased by the news.

“I’m very disappointed,” he said.

Councilman Bob Bialkowski said that he had a feeling this would be the outcome about a month ago, and isn’t happy that he was right.

“I’m disappointed that all the things that were promised didn’t come to fruition,” he said. “The DRI money would have been worth spending if it was built as promised.”

To clarify about that DRI (Downtown Revitalization Initiative) grant money. New York State doled out the grant money for several initiatives, including $425,000 to Sam Savarino of Savarino Companies, the contractor for Ellicott Station. The state granted a total of $10 million of DRI monies within the city of Batavia, but only a portion of that directly to the city, and the remainder of it directly to specific projects, including Ellicott Station.

During the groundbreaking ceremony last year, Savarino talked about the project at 50 Ellicott St. being for workforce people earning in the range of $18 to $20 an hour, and looking for quality housing at an affordable price.

Part of the Ellicott Station project is to include a restaurant and brewery, which Bialkowski doubts will ever get off the ground.  There haven’t been any takers yet, and Savarino has been advertising the opportunity on the Ellicott Station website.

One upside the Councilman-at-large does see with this new complex is that the old Della Penna site has been renovated and will be back on the tax rolls, he said.

They were the only council members to respond to requests for comment.

The project was “billed as mixed-income” and not strictly a low-income complex, City Manager Rachael Tabelski said.

“Ellicott Station has been a moving target over the last several years as the developer made various and multiple overtures to funding entities with regards to making the project financially viable. In 2019, the City supported the project’s housing component as being mixed-income that would provide housing for residents that were employed in local manufacturing in an application submitted to New York State Homes and Community Renewal from the developer,” Tabelski said Tuesday. “Furthermore, in 2020, it was confirmed that people living at Ellicott Station must be employed and not receiving government assistance." 

Tabelski referred to a letter sent to HCR in 2019 by former City Manager Martin Moore, in which he confirms the city’s intent for what type of housing they expected Ellicott Station to provide.

It states, in part:

I am writing to express support for the Ellicott Station housing project in Batavia, which provides mixed-income/affordable living quarters, and cleans up a blighted site in the heart of the City. The Ellicott Station project phases include construction for 55 mixed-income/affordable housing units, and construction of commercial buildings. The housing project phase provides high quality, well maintained residential units within walking distance of employers, shopping, medical facilities, public transportation, and other amenities. We look forward to the brownfield remediation, and dilapidated building demolition that will occur prior to new construction. 

The Ellicott Station portion of the DRI grant was awarded as a high priority project to address housing and economic development needs. City planning documents also recognize the site as a major component of brownfield cleanup, increased workforce housing availability, and commercial revitalization. 

We request that the Division of Housing and Community Renewal approve the funding for the Ellicott Station housing project. The project aligns with your mission to build and support affordable housing, and supports our goals to increase housing availability and promote economic growth in Batavia. 

Tabelski believes that additional talks have shifted the tenor of the project’s income qualifications, and is pursuing further communication about the issue.

“Unfortunately, the City has not been included in various discussions since then as it pertains to the housing component of the project and is surprised to learn only recently about the (annual median income) and lack of mixed-income housing,” she said. “The City is requesting that the developer work with HCR and economic development agencies to raise the AMI to reflect current manufacturing wages in a good faith effort to remain true to the intent of the project that was originally proposed and subsequently supported by the City.”

She is not certain where exactly the city will go from here, but "we owe it to ourselves and our citizens" to try something and not just let it go. 

Savarino has announced that applications are being taken, and a lottery will be conducted on May 2 in Buffalo to select tenants for the apartment complex. For more information, go to Ellicott Station. 

See also: OPINION: Ellicott Station is not looking like a 'Pathway to Prosperity

Finally, the two-word answer has been provided, via a flyer and related state information posted online.

Ellicott Station is open only to “low-income” eligible tenants.

Last month The Batavian asked the city’s Batavia Development Corporation director, and a staff member at Savarino Companies, who referred us to Assets Manager Wanda Wilson, about the new complex’s income qualifications. The first two didn't know, and Wilson did not return calls and emails for comment.

Jim Krencik of Genesee County Economic Development Center didn’t really give a classification label but said that of the total of 55 units, 25 of them will go to tenants with 50 percent of the county’s current available median income, and 30 units will go to those with 60 percent of the median income.

As an example of what that could be, the latest median yearly income data from 2017 to 2021 was $63,734, 50 percent of that is $31,867 and 60 percent is $38,240. Krencik emphasized that if someone was approved based on that starting salary and then was promoted and earned a raise, he or she wouldn’t lose the apartment because of that increased figure.

The idea is to provide quality housing to people who may have just graduated from college and are starting out with a new job and career, and want to live in a decent place that they can also afford, he said.

No one who The Batavian spoke to would commit to saying that the project at 50 Ellicott St. would be for low-income folks. Or that rent could be supplemented with Federal housing vouchers.

They also didn't correct statements made at the groundbreaking for Ellicott Station that the project would be "workforce" housing for people earning $18 to $20 an hour.

As it turns out, a single person living alone making $18 an hour is making too much to qualify for an apartment at Ellicott Station, though that same person with two or three dependents, meaning no additional income, would qualify. 

Whereas two people each earning minimum wage, $14.20 an hour, are not eligible for a two-bedroom apartment at Ellicott Station because they would be earning too much (the maximum household income for two people in a two-bedroom apartment is $34,600, and two people working full-time at $14.20 would gross $59,072).

At the infant stage, the project was considered for market-rate apartments to draw a higher-salaried tenant to not only live downtown but invest in it as consumers of retail shops and restaurants. That evaporated into categories of workforce and affordable, described by company owner Sam Savarino as a way to attract people earning about $20 an hour or below in need of quality, affordable housing.

“The idea being that nobody should be expected to pay more than a third of their income for occupancy that includes rent, or a mortgage, and their utilities,” he said during groundbreaking last year. “Part of the idea was if you’re creating jobs here, you want to have safe, modern quality housing for those workers that they can afford.”

He requested approximately $3.6 million in economic incentives, with a $2,105,792 property tax exemption, a $790,512 sales tax exemption, and a $180,792 mortgage tax exemption. He received $425,000 of the city’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant money, and $5.7 million of low-income housing tax credits for the Ellicott Station project, which he cited as the key to moving the project forward. The DRI is "a comprehensive approach to boosting local economies by transforming communities into vibrant neighborhoods where the next generation of New Yorkers will want to live, work and raise a family," the website states.

In 2017 and 2018, the city also gave him two grants: one from Empire State Development called the Restore New York grant for $500,000 to rehab the old electric building that’s on the site, and a $250,000 National Grid grant to enhance the Ellicott Trail on the property area right behind the Savarino campus. The trail will be enhanced with lighting, benches, and there will be parking areas for people to utilize the trail starting in that area, City Manager Rachael Tabelski had said during a prior City Council meeting.

“The hope is that they will also use the restaurant and brewhouse that will be on that site,” she said, adding that the resolution recognizes the city as the applicant “but the work will be done by Savarino Companies.”

Krencik has waxed optimistic about the city and county trying to provide varying types of housing to accommodate the needs of people at all stages of their lives.  Based on the application, Ellicott Station seems focused on financial need.  Questions include whether you require Section 8 rental assistance, alternate housing assistance, and whether you’re a full-time student.

To see the flyer or obtain an application, go to Applications at Ellicott Station. Applications are being taken and are due by 5 p.m. April 18. There is no mention of minimum income requirements or if applicants will be vetted before the lottery. The state's website states prospective tenants must pass a credit check and criminal background check.

Tenants will be selected by a lottery method noon on May 2 — not in Batavia, but at 500 Seneca St., Buffalo.  For more information, also visit the Ellicott Station page at NYHousingSearch.com.

2023 File Photo of Ellicott Station by Howard Owens.

Housing projects have various classifications, such as workforce, affordable and low income, all of which have certain definitions and income levels, and The Batavian wanted to clarify which words and parameters fit the Ellicott Station project in downtown Batavia.

First, a little housing definitions lesson:

Affordable Housing is generally defined as housing on which the occupant is paying no more than 30 percent of gross income for housing costs, including utilities.

Market Rate Housing is the prevailing monthly cost for rental housing. It is set by the landlord without restrictions.

Housing Authority Housing authorities are public corporations with boards appointed by the local government. Their mission is to provide affordable housing to low- and moderate-income people. In addition to public housing, housing authorities also provide other types of subsidized housing.

Subsidized Housing is a generic term covering all federal, state or local government programs that reduce the cost of housing for low- and moderate-income residents. Housing can be subsidized in numerous ways—giving tenants a rent voucher, helping homebuyers with downpayment assistance, reducing the interest on a mortgage, providing deferred loans to help developers acquire and develop property, giving tax credits to encourage investment in low- and moderate-income housing, authorizing tax-exempt bond authority to finance the housing, providing ongoing assistance to reduce the operating costs of housing and others. Public housing, project-based Section 8, Section 8 vouchers, tax credits, the State Housing Trust Fund, and Seattle Housing Levy programs are all examples of subsidized housing. Subsidized housing can range from apartments for families to senior housing high-rises. Subsidized simply means that rents are reduced because of a particular government program. It has nothing to do with the quality, location or type of housing. In fact, a number of Seattle's subsidized housing developments have received local and national design awards.

Workforce Housing is the industry standard definition for affordable housing that serves families that are at or below 60 percent of the median income.

When talking to local economic and project development folks, semantics seemed to really matter. Workforce was not much different than affordable, according to one person, and the term low income was freely bandied about until The Batavian tried to confirm that the housing was subsidized, and the comment was retracted. And nobody wanted to be quoted out of uncertainty.

The assets manager for Savarino Companies has not yet replied to email inquiries after The Batavian was referred to her last week.

At last, an answer came from Jim Krencik of the county’s Economic Development Center. Krencik confirmed that the buck stopped with him, per the last known income qualifications that EDC was aware of for the Ellicott Station project.

To back up a bit, why was this a question to begin with? Because, several years ago, in the infant stage of this project, there was talk of market-rate apartments to provide up-scale prices and amenities to feed the appetites of higher-paid workers and help to grow the city’s economy with an influx of well-to-do consumers.

That bubble was burst last year when Sam Savarino, owner of Savarino Companies, announced that it was a workforce apartment project going up on Ellicott Street. It was going to be for entry-level workers making around $20 an hour or less.

But then rumblings and murmurs took to the streets, combined with questions and fear and lack of details, and the possibility of this being a mixed project of affordable and low income, or subsidized only, emerged. So The Batavian tried to get an answer from economic and project development folks — to no avail.

So now, onto the answer. Krencik didn’t really give a classification label, but just an answer. Of the total of 55 units, 25 of them will go to tenants with 50 percent of the county’s current available median income, and 30 units will go to those with 60 percent of the median income.

As an example of what that could be, the latest median yearly income data from 2017 to 2021 was $63,734, 50 percent of that is $31,867 and 60 percent is $38,240. Krencik emphasized that if someone was approved based on that starting salary and then was promoted and earned a raise, he or she wouldn’t lose the apartment because of that increased figure.

The idea is to provide quality housing to people who may have just graduated from college and are starting out with a new job and career, and want to live in a decent place that they can also afford, he said.

What about all of those parents stating that their kids can’t find jobs to keep them here? Do you really think there will be enough entry level people to fill this complex?
Krencik was glad to get the question. He could then volley back information about a new program called Cornell Food Processing Bootcamp, which is specifically for 2023 graduates. Students can earn a free food processing certificate from Cornell University at Genesee Valley BOCES and connect with local food manufacturers that are hiring with average starting wages of $20/hour, according to a GCEDC flyer.

After doing some hard-hitting promotion of the program, there are 26 students signed up so far, Krencik said, all of whom could be viable candidates for Ellicott Station. While the housing complex won’t be for everyone, it can fill many needs, he said.

“A lot of folks in that cohort are saying, hey, you know, I want to live where I have a supermarket, that's a 20-second walk away, and there's restaurants a 30-second walk away,” he said. “And there's musical performances, of all the concerts that happen in that area, that is attracted to that group. And right now, we've been really marketing that program hard for about three days now.

“And we're hoping to address, with a lot of activity that's been happening, if there wasn't enough quality apartments or single-family homes, and having projects that are taking those on to help people out at all phases of their life when they're starting off in a career or ready to, you know, have that big single family home for their growing family, or they're on the other side of that, and they're looking for the type of housing where they don't need a big house anymore, having all those available is really the key to having viability in our housing market,” he said. “So I guess a single project doesn't doesn't solve it for every one of those scenarios, but it's a piece of solving it with many others.”

Savarino Companies has been taking names of interested tenants for the complex, which is to open this summer. For more information, go to ellicottstation.com.

File Photo of Ellicott Station's progress in January 2023, by Howard Owens.

If you’re in the market for an apartment later this year, but can’t afford a market rate, Ellicott Station may be the answer.

The Ellicott Street apartment complex has been taking names, Batavia Development Corporation Director Tammy Hathaway says.

A project that began last fall on the south side of Batavia, the 55-unit complex is expected to be ready for occupants by summer of this year, she said.

“There is an income qualification,” Hathaway said Tuesday. “People can go to ellicottstation.com and sign up.”

When the time comes that apartments are finalized, Savarino’s management will review the list and contact potential tenants, Hathaway said.

Once thoought to be more upper scale market rate rentals, the 55 units are considered “affordable housing,” 52 of which come with a balcony and nine with Americans with Disabilities Act mobility units. Units also are equipped with laundry amenities, and the complex has an elevator, community room, bicycle storage, covered off-street parking, and a playground, according to the website.

During the time of groundbreaking later last year, CEO Sam Savarino of Savarino Companies said that “It’s difficult for people to afford housing, and then there’s a shortage of quality, affordable housing.”

“In any event, the market study showed that there was a top end of the market that people could afford to pay in this area, otherwise, it wouldn’t be successful,” he said.

Abatement, demolition of two dilapidated buildings, land remediation, reconstruction of public storm drainage infrastructure, and construction of a 55-unit apartment building was — and still is — on the way toward a summer 2023 completion. The $22.5 million project site is to also offer adaptive reuse of the building to be used as a brewery, restaurant and/or events facility, plus improvements made to a public ‘Rails to Trails’ walking trail.

Workers have been busy constructing the four-story apartment complex, and it has been exciting to see the progress, Hathaway said.

“It’s a gorgeous building,” she said last fall during a tour of the defunct Della Penna site that’s part of the project.

The total apartment project cost is $20.7 million for 74,000 gross square feet, four stories, 55 units, 52 balcony units, nine units meeting Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, 37 garage parking spaces and 44 surface parking spaces.

Defined as “workforce housing,” with one and two-bedroom units, the Ellicott Street complex will most likely attract people earning about $20 an hour or below, otherwise deemed as affordable housing.

The project is part of Batavia’s Downtown Revitalization initiative and is located within a state-designated Brownfield Opportunity Area, which requires abatements and remediation from prior use of toxic materials on the property.

Top Photo of the current Ellicott Station project in Batavia, by Howard Owens; and file photo of the groundbreaking by Howard Owens. Bottom two photos also from today of construction by Howard Owens.

Press Release

The bike path located at endpoints of Evans and Jackson streets, South of Route 63, Ellicott Street and North of Salvation Army Family Store in Batavia will be closed to pedestrian and bike traffic for ground and civil construction activities from approximately Oct. 3, 2022 to May 31, 2023.

Traffic will be detoured around the area for the scheduled duration of the project. Local access to businesses will be maintained. Please see the attached reference map for more information.

All construction areas will be marked by barricades and road closure signs. Please abide by all signage and follow designated traffic routes. This scope of work is scheduled to start on Oct. 3 and will be completed by May 31, 2023. The typical hours of construction will be 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Even though the end of summer is now upon us, construction marches on for as long as the weather permits.

Batavia Development Corporation Director Tammy Hathaway recently reviewed a list of projects — from completed and in progress to still in the design phase — throughout downtown.

Hunt Real Estate’s new home at 97 Main St. is set for its debut with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday while architectural and design firms are working out details for a revamped Batavia City Centre and Jackson Square.

Ellicott Station — the $22.5 million project of 55 units within an apartment complex, office suites and a restaurant/brewery is coming along, Hathaway said, sharing that she and City Manager Rachael Tabelski had taken a tour of the south side construction zone.

Standing just outside of the four-story, naked wood complex, one can hear power tools and occasionally see workers on the top floor. Peeking through the window and door cut-outs, one can see traffic along Ellicott Street and businesses on the opposite side of the street.

The project is moving along swiftly, Hathaway said during the BDC meeting at City Hall.

“It’s a gorgeous building,” she said of the defunct Della Penna site that’s part of the project.

Theater 56 will be going into the next phase of construction at its new location in Batavia City Centre, she said. BDC member Pierluigi Cipollone asked if the project was still on course for year-end completion. “As far as I know,” Tabelski said.

Other projects are underway from 99 to 216 Main Street, including a $5.25 million "Carr's Reborn" renovation, and focus has been placed on 60 Evans St., known as Creek Park LLC, Hathaway said. The LLC company is a subdivision of Batavia Development Corporation: "BDC will take ownership of  Creek Park LLC for land development," she said. "To make the unknowns known."

For example, Savarino Companies went through Creek Park LLC for its Ellicott Station project, she said. There is also a piece of property called Creek Park that sits behind the ice arena on Evans Street.

“We’re working on getting that into Brownfield development,” she said.

Brownfields are identified for potentially needing remediation to remove toxic materials from those sites. There has been some interest in the site, so far, Hathaway said, and it's unknown right now whether remediation will be required, so that will need to be explored.

“It’s been extremely exciting lately,” she said. “I have a major crush on this job.”

Three different blocks of projects have so far tallied estimated investments of $2.4 million, $66 million, and $1.14 million, she said, for all of the above sites, plus the Healthy Living campus, which is also under construction, and Ellicott Place, which has been completed on top of the Save-A-Lot building at Ellicott and Jackson streets.

A majority of the $69.4 million investment has been from private developers, with the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, and New York Main Street grants providing about $10.8 million toward the cost.

“I would say to pack your hard hat and work boots because so much is going on with tours,” she said to the BDC members.

Top Photo: Creek Park on Evans Street, Batavia, has been identified as potential development property; Ellicott Station developer Savarino Companies continues to progress toward a 55-unit apartment complex with 52 balconies, nine units dedicated to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, 37 garage parking spots and 44 surface parking spaces, a laundry room, elevator, community room, bicycle storage and an enclosed ADA playground on Ellicott Street. Photos by Joanne Beck.

Workers were still framing atop the third floor of the Ellicott Station apartment complex in Batavia early this evening.

The apartments are part of a $22.5 million project that includes a brewery/restaurant and office suites.

The four-story apartment building will contain 55 units, including 52 with balconies, and nine units meeting Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. There will be 37 garage parking spaces and 44 surface parking spaces, a laundry room, an elevator, a community room, bicycle storage, and an enclosed ADA playground.

The developer is Savarino Companies, a firm in Buffalo that specializes in rehabilitating brownfield properties and old industrial buildings. 

The apartments are expected to house workforce residents with $30,000 to $40,000 in annual earnings.

For previous coverage of Ellicott Station, click here.

With construction season in full swing, progress on the Ellicott Station development is more visible.

Crews have begun framing apartments in the four-story complex that is part of the $25 million project. 

Besides the apartments, other buildings on the property -- a combination of the former Della Penna building and the Santy Tire location -- will include office space and a restaurant/brewery.

The four-story apartment building will contain 55 units, including 52 with balconies, and nine units meeting Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. There will be 37 garage parking spaces and 44 surface parking spaces, a laundry room, an elevator, a community room, bicycle storage, and an enclosed ADA playground.

The developer is Savarino Companies, a firm in Buffalo that specializes in rehabilitating brownfield properties and old industrial buildings. 

The apartments are expected to house workforce residents with $30,000 to $40,000 in annual earnings.

Photo by Mike Pettinella.

Switching gears from the fast track to market-rate housing, businessman Sam Savarino now believes that Batavia — more specifically Ellicott Station — is more about being affordable.

“It’s difficult for people to afford housing, and then there’s a shortage of quality, affordable housing,” Savarino said to The Batavian after the ceremonial groundbreaking of Ellicott Station Tuesday. “In any event, the market study showed that there was a top end of the market that people could afford to pay in this area, otherwise, it wouldn’t be successful.”

Savarino, of Savarino Companies, was joined by City of Batavia and Genesee County leaders to pitch some dirt as a symbolic gesture for the beginning phase of a 3.31-acre mixed-use redevelopment project of vacant and abandoned industrial brownfield land downtown.

Abatement, demolition of two dilapidated buildings, land remediation, reconstruction of public storm drainage infrastructure, and construction of a 55-unit apartment building is on the way toward a summer 2023 completion. The site is to also offer adaptive reuse of the building to be used as a brewery, restaurant and/or events facility, plus improvements made to a public ‘Rails to Trails’ walking trail.

The total project cost is $20.7 million for 74,000 gross square feet, four stories, 55 units, 52 balcony units, nine units meeting Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, 37 garage parking spaces and 44 surface parking spaces, built-in laundry facility, an elevator, community room, bicycle storage and an enclosed ADA playground.

Another portion has a $4.2 million price tag and includes 11,285 square feet, 5,000 of which are for an outdoor landscaped beer garden, 25 dedicated surface parking spaces and rear access with loading dock and storage areas.

Savarino wants to build housing for people that can and will use it. And the state will help out “to close the gap” by providing housing tax credits and financing for such housing projects, he said.

“So, in return, they’re going to expect you to make sure that those rents are — remain — at that affordable rate if you don’t take advantage of what they offer,” he said.

Otherwise defined as “workforce housing,” with one and two-bedroom units, the Ellicott Street complex will most likely attract people earning about $20 an hour or below, he said. Ellicott Station should be affordable to them, he said.

“The idea being that nobody should be expected to pay more than a third of their income for occupancy that includes rent, or a mortgage, and their utilities,” he said. Part of the idea was if you’re creating jobs here, you want to have safe, modern quality housing for those workers that they can afford.”

The project is part of Batavia’s Downtown Revitalization initiative and is located within a state-designated Brownfield Opportunity Area, which requires abatements and remediation from prior use of toxic materials on the property.

Top photo: Local government leaders literally pitch in to celebrate the groundbreaking of Ellicott Station with project owner Sam Savarino, shown in second photo; and Genesee County Economic Development Center Executive Director Steve Hyde and above, Batavia City Council President Eugene Jankowski say a few words in praise of the development. Photos by Howard Owens. Renderings courtesy Savarino Construction.

The former Santy's Tires building on Ellicott Street, which along with the former Soccio & Della Penna building, is part of a redevelopment effort downtown known as Ellicott Station, is nearly gone as construction on the $22 million project continues.

The brownfield redevelopment site has been vacant for many years and has been a challenge to redevelop because of environmental contamination.  Grants and tax abatements, about 15 percent of the project's funding, help offset the cost of environmental clean-up.

Savarino Companies of Buffalo is the project developer. It will include 55 apartments, office space, and a restaurant.

Sessler Environmental Services of Rochester will be at the Ellicott Station project site for the next few weeks to tear down the former Soccio & Della Penna and Santy's Tire Sales buildings on Ellicott Street in the City of Batavia.

“This building (Soccio & Della Penna, photos at top) knockdown should take about a week to knock it down and load it out," John Christman said today. "And the Santy’s Tires will be probably another two weeks from today.”

Christman is Sessler's project manager for the Santy's portion of the demolition.

He said the demo of the Santy’s building won't start for a couple weeks – not until the Soccio & Della Penna structure comes down. The garage on the property has been razed.

The photo at the bottom shows a building that will remain -- earmarked for renovation as part of the $22.5 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative mixed-use venture being developed by Savarino Companies of Buffalo.

Plans call for construction of a five-story apartment building with 55 new, modern workforce housing units, as well as a brewery, restaurant/beer garden and potential further development on 3.31 acres. It is expected to create 20 jobs in the city’s downtown area.

Photos by Mike Pettinella.

 

Batavia City Council members and city management tonight exhibited varying degrees of trust in the Buffalo development company charged with turning the eyesore on Ellicott Street into the multi-million dollar Downtown Revitalization Initiative project known as Ellicott Station.

Council, during its Conference and Special Business Meetings at the City Hall Council Board Room, had the task of considering two resolutions in connection with the mixed-use endeavor on property that once was the home of Soccio & Della Penna Inc. construction and Santy’s Tire Sales:

• Whether to take receipt of a $500,000 Restore New Grant that would support Savarino Companies in its demolition, rehabilitation and adaptive re-use of the former National Grid electric building;

• Whether to approve a resolution requiring the developer to enter into an “undertaking agreement” that would protect the city by transferring all or a portion of the obligations of the grant to Savarino Companies.

Although City Manager Rachael Tabelski emphasized that if Savarino doesn’t perform the work, it won’t get the grant, some Council members were skeptical to the point of believing that the project will never get off the ground.

Rose Mary Christian called the Brownfield Opportunity Area in its current blighted condition as “disgusting and deplorable.”

“I don’t have any faith in this company,” she said, while voting “no” to both measures.

Fellow Council member Robert Bialkowski said he had “great concerns” as he voted yes, while Council President Eugene Jankowski agreed, but feared that squashing the grant proposal could jeopardize the start of demolition.

“It’s my opinion that there’s a lot of small, complicated parts to this project of that magnitude,” he said following the meeting. “You have a large project that’s a brownfield, and on top of it you’re trying to put together all of the funding for it. It’s not an easy task.”

Jankowski admitted that he “got his hopes up” early on when the project was submitted, but understands that outside factors such as working with New York State, COVID and cost overruns likely contributed to the delay.

“At this point, we need to give them the opportunity to start construction in November like they said, and I am going to be optimistic that that’s exactly what’s going to happen.”

During the meeting, Tabelski said that Sam Savarino, company president, told her that the final closing with the New York State Office of Community Renewal, which has jurisdiction over the project, is scheduled for the first week of November.

The Batavian received that same information when talking to Savarino prior to environmental testing that was conducted on the property last week.

“I have no doubt that when they start, they will finish (the project),” she said, noting that Savarino Companies has paid the Batavia Development Corp. for the transaction of creating a Limited Liability Company and paid the city for permit fees and extension fees. “The developer does projects all over the state and he doesn’t want to lose the trust of the OCR.”

Unfortunately, after five and a half years since the announcement of the Ellicott Station residential/commercial/entertainment venture, the same can’t be said for some of those serving on City Council.

For the record, Council did vote 7-1 to pass both resolutions related to the grant.

Also, tonight, the board approved a resolution to accept a $7,500 STOP-DWI grant from Genesee County to combat impaired driving through the utilization of specified high-visibility engagement campaigns.

Pre-construction work and environmental testing is taking place today on the grounds of the former Soccio & Della Penna Construction Co. and Santy's Tire Sales locations on Ellicott Street in the city -- the future home of the Ellicott Station project that is part of Batavia's $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative program.

Two employees of Savarino Companies of Buffalo, the company that is behind the mixed-use development (apartments, office, retail and entertainment space), were on site. Indications are that demolition of the buildings will start in November. Photos by Mike Pettinella.

Although the date is a bit late in the construction season, Buffalo developer Sam Savarino nonetheless is relieved that the New York State Office of Homes and Community Renewal finally has scheduled the financial closing for the Ellicott Station project.

Ellicott Station, part of the City of Batavia's $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative program, is the name given for the redevelopment of the former Soccio & Della Penna and Santy’s Tire Sales properties on Ellicott Street.

“On Thursday, the HCR board met and approved the closing date for October 15^th,” Savarino said this morning.

When asked if he was hoping for a summer date, he said yes, but quickly pivoted to a “here’s what comes next” mode.

“We’re making our plans to get going, so the day we close, we’re out there working,” he said. “I’m hoping that we get our remediation done in the fall, which is a big step for us. We’re planning to do that right now.”

The closing with HCR involves filing of the documents pertaining to the low-income housing tax credits and additional subsidies awarded to the project.

Savarino said the state agency is providing $1.2 million per year for 10 years in low-income housing tax credits – incentives that are tied to the developer securing an investor or investors to back the project.

As previously reported, the apartments are geared toward a mixed-use workforce with a $30,000 to $40,000 salary range for tenants.

HCR also has granted subsidies of around $5 million.

“We make what’s called a unified funding application with the state. The state assesses your request and they grant it,” he said. “You’re asking for the low-income housing tax credit (based on a formula) and you’re asking for additional subsidies that the state has to approve to aid those projects because the low-income housing tax credits are not enough. When you get the award, you get both of those.”

Savarino said he would like to get on the site prior to the closing date to start some of the abatement in anticipation of the demolition work, but that is subject to HCR approval.

He also confirmed a July 21^st closing date with the Genesee County Economic Development Center to finalize the tax exemption and Payment in Lieu of Taxes agreements.

The GCEDC Board of Directors approved nearly $3.7 million in benefits for the $22.4 million DRI project, which calls for renovation and construction of more than 72,000 square feet on 3.3 acres in the Brownfield Opportunity Area.

Plans include the development of 55 apartments as well as office, retail and entertainment space, leading to the creation of an estimated 30 full-time equivalent jobs.

Incentives from the industrial development agency include $850,000 in sales tax exemptions, $200,000 in mortgage tax exemptions, and $2,105,952 in property tax exemptions.

Additionally, the project will be receiving an estimated $529,492 in Batavia Pathway to Prosperity PILOT increment financing related to cleanup and site work investments on the targeted brownfield site.

GCEDC Marketing Director Jim Krencik said that the project will generate $6.10 for every $1 of public investment, including DRI funding.

Contacted this morning, Batavia City Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr. said, "Understanding the delays with COVID and various other funding delays, I'm glad to see that it's finally going to move forward. I think everybody in the community is glad to see that it finally is going to move forward."

Batavia Development Corp. President Lori Aratari could not be reached for comment.

Buffalo developer Sam Savarino, who has been working for years to close financing on Ellicott Station (former Soccio & Della Penna and Santy's Tire properties), met via Zoom this morning with the Batavia Development Corp. Board of Directors and gave the members an update on the progress of the project, which should start with site cleanup soon.