It all started with a drive one Saturday afternoon.
Loren Ranaletta, president and CEO of Episcopal SeniorLife Communities, was touring the west side of Rochester and the Town of Greece when he happened by the former Our Lady of Mercy property on Denise Road. Tucked into a residential area and abutting Adeline Park, the site — with three buildings already present — offered a lot of potential, he said.
So did the neighborhood.
"We did a marketing study .... and you have a very high concentration of seniors in that three- or four-mile radius area, many of whom own their homes and we just thought it was a perfect fit to the market that was there," Ranaletta said.
The property has been empty since 2010 when the church closed; the school was shuttered several years before. Both were built in the 1960s. Episcopal SeniorLife will rehabilitate the former school and church while the rectory will be torn down and replaced by a new building.
Courtney McGinness, director of marketing, said the project, which has been in the works for two years, will serve a need, noting there's several rental dwellings on the east side of town but nothing specifically designed for seniors.
According to Gary Tajkowski, the town's director of development planning services, 30 percent of Greece's population is over 55.
"There is a significant need for housing for senior citizens, particularly affordable housing for seniors, and this certainly will help," he said.
Episcopal SeniorLife will turn the former two-story school into an apartment building. Its exterior will be upgraded. The former sanctuary will be repurposed as common space. The old rectory will be torn down and a new two-story apartment building put in its place. In total, there will be 73 units.
According to Lisa Marcello, vice president and CFO, it was important for EpiscopalLife to do a project that would fit the needs of those over age 65.
"Housing for seniors is becoming less affordable at the current market rate, which right now is $2,000 a month," she said. "We're looking at keeping costs around $800 a month."
While the project is considered independent living, meaning there won't be any services, Episcopal SeniorLife officials would like to create a program that brings together residents on site and the larger neighborhood as a whole. That may be done through exercise or wellness activities which would be open to the community.
"I think one of our goals is to enrich the lives of the people who actually live in the community [and] also be a community resource for the neighborhood, and we're very excited about that," McGinness said.
Plans call for a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments, some with one-and-a-half baths. Common space items would include a fitness center and a cooking area.
"We will preserve part of the existing church and fashion a chapel there," Ranaletta said. "We're really trying to recognize what the site was in terms of a congregation that was very committed to that church and to preserve as much of its history and its spiritual significance as possible."
The rectory was designed by James Johnson, the same architect who created the "Mushroom House" in Perinton, the Liberty Pole in downtown Rochester, and St. John the Evangelist in Greece. The rectory's mahogany wood interior will be reused within the common spaces, as will its fireplace. The sculpture behind the rectory will be preserved and made into a reflecting area with seating. A tribute area, depicting the history of the site with photographs and narratives, will be constructed, as well.
"This is something that won't be flattened and forgotten," Tajkowski said.
Workers have been repairing some damage from a leak on the roof while organizers are seeking site plan approval and obtaining building permits from the Town of Greece. Construction, they hope, will begin this month. The project is expected to be open next September.
For more information about leasing, contact Courtney McGinness, director of marketing, at 546.8400 ext. 3145
It all started with a drive one Saturday afternoon.
Loren Ranaletta, president and CEO of Episcopal SeniorLife Communities, was touring the west side of Rochester and the Town of Greece when he happened by the former Our Lady of Mercy property on Denise Road. Tucked into a residential area and abutting Adeline Park, the site — with three buildings already present — offered a lot of potential, he said.
So did the neighborhood.
"We did a marketing study .... and you have a very high concentration of seniors in that three- or four-mile radius area, many of whom own their homes and we just thought it was a perfect fit to the market that was there," Ranaletta said.
The property has been empty since 2010 when the church closed; the school was shuttered several years before. Both were built in the 1960s. Episcopal SeniorLife will rehabilitate the former school and church while the rectory will be torn down and replaced by a new building.
Courtney McGinness, director of marketing, said the project, which has been in the works for two years, will serve a need, noting there's several rental dwellings on the east side of town but nothing specifically designed for seniors.
According to Gary Tajkowski, the town's director of development planning services, 30 percent of Greece's population is over 55.
"There is a significant need for housing for senior citizens, particularly affordable housing for seniors, and this certainly will help," he said.
Episcopal SeniorLife will turn the former two-story school into an apartment building. Its exterior will be upgraded. The former sanctuary will be repurposed as common space. The old rectory will be torn down and a new two-story apartment building put in its place. In total, there will be 73 units.
According to Lisa Marcello, vice president and CFO, it was important for EpiscopalLife to do a project that would fit the needs of those over age 65.
"Housing for seniors is becoming less affordable at the current market rate, which right now is $2,000 a month," she said. "We're looking at keeping costs around $800 a month."
While the project is considered independent living, meaning there won't be any services, Episcopal SeniorLife officials would like to create a program that brings together residents on site and the larger neighborhood as a whole. That may be done through exercise or wellness activities which would be open to the community.
"I think one of our goals is to enrich the lives of the people who actually live in the community [and] also be a community resource for the neighborhood, and we're very excited about that," McGinness said.
Plans call for a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments, some with one-and-a-half baths. Common space items would include a fitness center and a cooking area.
"We will preserve part of the existing church and fashion a chapel there," Ranaletta said. "We're really trying to recognize what the site was in terms of a congregation that was very committed to that church and to preserve as much of its history and its spiritual significance as possible."
The rectory was designed by James Johnson, the same architect who created the "Mushroom House" in Perinton, the Liberty Pole in downtown Rochester, and St. John the Evangelist in Greece. The rectory's mahogany wood interior will be reused within the common spaces, as will its fireplace. The sculpture behind the rectory will be preserved and made into a reflecting area with seating. A tribute area, depicting the history of the site with photographs and narratives, will be constructed, as well.
"This is something that won't be flattened and forgotten," Tajkowski said.
Workers have been repairing some damage from a leak on the roof while organizers are seeking site plan approval and obtaining building permits from the Town of Greece. Construction, they hope, will begin this month. The project is expected to be open next September.
For more information about leasing, contact Courtney McGinness, director of marketing, at 546.8400 ext. 3145
