About 100 students will be able to choose renovated apartments on Seward Place in the
housing lottery this spring as work begins on the 13 properties the College has purchased
along the street to the west of campus.
Plans are to have the buildings fully renovated for occupancy by students this fall, it
was announced at a public meeting on Tuesday at St. Anthony's Church, in which
College officials outlined the latest developments in the Union-Schenectady Initiative
revitalization plan.
“Our vision is for all of Seward Place to be totally redone,” said Diane
Blake, vice president for finance and administration. “We want sidewalks on both
sides of the street. We want features like benches on the islands. It's going to be
totally transformed.”
Also at the meeting, more than 50 residents of the neighborhood west of campus signed
up to begin to develop a new neighborhood association.
The College has purchased 25 properties — 13 on Seward Place, five on Huron, and
seven on Park Place – and has begun closing on 12 others in the neighborhood known as
College Park.
Properties on Huron and Park will be renovated as rental units for faculty and staff.
Work on those buildings will begin this summer, with completion of the entire renovation
project expected in the summer of 2000.
The ultimate use for the former DiCocco's Luncheonette on South Avenue, which the
College purchased several weeks ago, is to be determined.
The location for a Union Safety and the Community Outreach Center is also under
discussion. Among the options are renovating a home(s) or constructing a new building
somewhere in the initiative area. Fleet bank has donated $15,000 toward the Center.