Courtesy Vecino Group
By Maureen Werther
The Missouri-based Vecino Group is scheduled to break ground soon on an affordable housing development, named Intrada, just south of the Saratoga Amtrack station on Washington Avenue, adjacent to the U.S. post office.
According to Rick Manzardo, president of the Vecino Group, it will be the first affordable housing development built in Saratoga Springs in a long time. The company hopes to hope to attract people who work in education, hospitality and other industries with salaries that are not always adequate to afford pricier Saratoga Springs rents.
The Intrada apartment rents will range from just under $700 per month up to just under $1,300 per month, he said.
The project will consist of approximately 158 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments in four buildings, three of which will be four stories tall. One will be three stories.
Vecino Construction will be doing the work, in conjunction with Bonacio Construction. Manzardo said the apartments will range in size from approximately 600 square feet for one-bedroom units, up to about 1,000 square feet for three-bedroom units. All will be equipped with washers and dryers, and there will also be a fitness center and a community room. There will be approximately 230 parking spaces for residents.
Manzardo plans to have the project completed in the next 18 months They will work with Arco Property Management to lease the units and maintain the property. He said that Arco manages a similar Vecino property in Troy.
The Intrada project also has a community-focused component to it. Vecino has partnered with CAPTAIN Community Human Services to set aside 10 units for people who have either aged out of the foster care system and are in danger of being homeless. Associate Executive Director of CAPTAIN, Andy Gilpin said is agency will have an office on site and they will identify people ages 18 to 24, who meet certain factors that CAPTAIN feels would make them candidates for housing.
CAPTAIN receives funding through the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative, which will subsidize a portion of the rents for each of the 10 units.