Council adopts updated Findlay Street affordable housing resolution after unit-count correction

A council member moved and the council adopted an updated resolution to support a pilot agreement for a proposed three-story, 71-unit affordable housing project at 26 Findlay Street.

The resolution, presented by a council member during the meeting, said the project would sit on approximately 3.63 acres and is currently before the Saratoga Springs Planning Board. The speaker said the council previously approved the resolution but that a typographical error affecting the number of units required the item be brought back for full council consideration. “I move to adopt the updated resolution for the Findlay Housing Development Fund Corporation and the Findlay LLC for 26 Findlay Street as an affordable housing project with the support of the city authorized by the negotiation of a pilot agreement as described in the resolution attached to the agenda,” the council member said.

Why this matters: the update changes eligibility and unit allocations that determine who the housing will serve. The council member said the household income limit in the resolution is now set to less than or equal to 60% of area median income (AMI) for Saratoga County, adjusted for family size; the speaker also referred to 80% AMI in the resolution text in relation to family adjustments. The record’s language about the 60% vs. 80% phrasing is ambiguous; the transcript records both figures in the same explanation and does not fully clarify how family-size adjustments affect the 80% reference. The council approved the updated resolution despite that ambiguity.

Details in the record: the updated resolution states the project will provide 71 low-income residential units. The change reduces the number of general-public affordable units from 60 to 59 to permit 12 units earmarked as supportive housing for individuals with disabilities, funded by the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiatives. The presenter said RISE will form a new nonprofit, the Findlay Housing Development Fund Corporation, and an intended LLC, the Findlay LLC, to carry the project.

The motion: the council member formally moved to adopt the updated resolution and authorize negotiation of the pilot agreement described in the agenda. The chair asked for a second and seconded the motion. The chair called for the vote, recorded ayes and no nays, noted one abstention, and declared the measure passed.

Record and next steps: the record shows the project remains under review by the Saratoga Springs Planning Board; the council’s action at this meeting was to adopt the updated resolution to support the pilot agreement and correct the earlier typographical issue. The meeting then moved to adjourn.

Attributions: Quotes and motions in this article are attributed to the meeting speakers as recorded: the council member who presented and moved the resolution, and the chair who conducted the roll call, seconded the motion, and announced the vote.