A new initiative to provide more options for single-family housing in the village of East Rochester is underway.
The ER Housing Authority (ERHA) is in the process of purchasing duplexes, reconverting them into single-family homes, and putting them up for sale. Homeowners who turn their doubles back into singles are also being reimbursed for their efforts.
Many homes in the village were split as laborers moved into the area for manufacturing jobs at the height of East Rochester’s industrial age. The village has since passed a moratorium to ban this practice.
Now, they want to take the next step in reducing the number of vacant properties and make the village attractive to potential home buyers.
“A lot of these homes are just old and haven’t been maintained, especially those owned by absentee landlords,” explained real estate agent Janalee Herb, who was hired by the ERHA. “They don’t have a vested interest in the house being a nice place to live, and a lot of times that results in vacancy.”
The ERHA is a tax-exempt organization of volunteers with the mission of improving existing housing in the village. It is advised by an attorney and real estate professionals, and operates independently from the town/village government.
The group receives funding from commissions earned through services it provides, primarily through writing grants. It then uses this funding for housing-related projects.
It has already targeted three duplexes to reconvert — 701 Main Street, 108 West Ivy Street, and 237 West Avenue. Any profit from the sale of these homes will then be used for other tasks.
“The intention is that we keep this account funded so we can keep turning over these properties and make this an ongoing project,” said Herb. “This is unique because we don’t necessarily look at the profit, but the greater good of the community. There’s a moral standard here the Housing Authority is trying to abide by.”
Although the ERHA itself is tax-exempt, it will continue to pay property and school taxes on these homes so that the village does not lose tax revenue.
Homeowners who do the job themselves can earn a $7,500 incentive for reconverting their own property. Mayor Fred Ricci said this money also comes from the ERHA, but the village is also authorized to use leftover federal money received by the village from the Federal Housing and Urban Development Authority (HUD) in the 1990s, as needed. More than eight homeowners have already taken advantage of this compensation.
A new initiative to provide more options for single-family housing in the village of East Rochester is underway.
The ER Housing Authority (ERHA) is in the process of purchasing duplexes, reconverting them into single-family homes, and putting them up for sale. Homeowners who turn their doubles back into singles are also being reimbursed for their efforts.
Many homes in the village were split as laborers moved into the area for manufacturing jobs at the height of East Rochester’s industrial age. The village has since passed a moratorium to ban this practice.
Now, they want to take the next step in reducing the number of vacant properties and make the village attractive to potential home buyers.
“A lot of these homes are just old and haven’t been maintained, especially those owned by absentee landlords,” explained real estate agent Janalee Herb, who was hired by the ERHA. “They don’t have a vested interest in the house being a nice place to live, and a lot of times that results in vacancy.”
The ERHA is a tax-exempt organization of volunteers with the mission of improving existing housing in the village. It is advised by an attorney and real estate professionals, and operates independently from the town/village government.
The group receives funding from commissions earned through services it provides, primarily through writing grants. It then uses this funding for housing-related projects.
It has already targeted three duplexes to reconvert — 701 Main Street, 108 West Ivy Street, and 237 West Avenue. Any profit from the sale of these homes will then be used for other tasks.
“The intention is that we keep this account funded so we can keep turning over these properties and make this an ongoing project,” said Herb. “This is unique because we don’t necessarily look at the profit, but the greater good of the community. There’s a moral standard here the Housing Authority is trying to abide by.”
Although the ERHA itself is tax-exempt, it will continue to pay property and school taxes on these homes so that the village does not lose tax revenue.
Homeowners who do the job themselves can earn a $7,500 incentive for reconverting their own property. Mayor Fred Ricci said this money also comes from the ERHA, but the village is also authorized to use leftover federal money received by the village from the Federal Housing and Urban Development Authority (HUD) in the 1990s, as needed. More than eight homeowners have already taken advantage of this compensation.
Ricci said that he’s encouraged by new push to improve the overall condition of housing in the village. He said he thinks it’s long overdue, but that the reconversion effort is the first step in developing a larger master plan for housing. A task force of community members is also being formed to go along with the ERHA.
“For over 20 years, our most serious consideration is housing because we are a planned community, and the plan was to provide affordable housing. Now, 100 years later, you have old housing,” Ricci said, adding, “We’re not trying to get back to the way they were. We’re just trying to control the housing issues we’ve had.”
