Pueblo Nuevo I will create 75 homes in El Camino neighborhood

Further transformation of Rochester’s El Camino neighborhood kicked off on Thursday with the official groundbreaking of Pueblo Nuevo I.

Pueblo Nuevo (“new town” in Spanish) is a $25 million redevelopment project spearheaded by Ibero-American Development Corp., the development arm of the Ibero-American Action League, Inc.

The project will transform 20 vacant, underutilized or dilapidated lots across a five-block area around North Clinton and Joseph Avenues and just south of St. Michael’s Church into affordable homes.

The initial phase of construction will create 75 homes across 16 residential buildings and also will include community green space at the center of development on a city-owned parcel that is tied to the La Marketa development. There will be 19 apartments reserved for adults with developmental disabilities.

“Pueblo Nuevo not only provides quality affordable housing, but it is also a transformative project that will propel the neighborhood to a future that highly benefits its residents, as part of a larger strategy of building neighborhoods,” Eugenio Marlin, executive vice president of Ibero-American Development Corp., said in a news release.

The project will include a new multifamily building with 16 units on Sullivan Street; 13 newly constructed three-family homes; and one existing two-family home on Hoeltzer Street that will undergo renovations. In addition, a Romanesque brick building on Clifford Avenue originally constructed in 1905 will be adapted into a multifamily building with 18 units.

There will be 71 apartments for households earning up to 60 percent of the Area Median Income and the remaining four units reserved for households earning up to 80 percent of the AMI. Of the tenants, eight households will receive project-based Section 8 vouchers from the Rochester Housing Authority.

“The Pueblo Nuevo I development is part of a larger effort to revitalize Rochester’s El Camino neighborhood by filling in empty lots with high-quality, energy-efficient affordable housing that residents will be proud to call home,” New York State Homes and Community Renewal commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said. “With a mix of new construction and renovation, we will ultimately create 75 homes for families and adults with special needs, as well as a beautiful new park in the heart of the neighborhood.”

The second phase of the project is expected to begin construction in early 2021, creating an additional 29 affordable homes as well as the El Camino Community Center.

New York State Homes and Community Renewal’s investment includes $12.5 million in permanent and construction tax-exempt Climate bonds, $11.5 million in federal and state Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity and $6.3 million in subsidy.

The New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) is providing $2.8 million in financing and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is providing funding through its Low-rise Residential New Construction program. Additional financing is being provided by the city of Rochester and the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York.

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