Rochester Management and CPC complete Chatham Gardens rehab with Konopka Architecture and BLM Construction

Rochester, NY Nonprofit housing agency Rochester Management  and the Community Preservation Corp. (CPC), celebrated the renovated Chatham Gardens during a ribbon cutting ceremony. The affordable housing community serving area families underwent a $4.5 million renovation, which was completed this summer.

The 184-unit community, which offers one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments at affordable rents, was built in 1964 under the New York State Mitchell-Lama program for low-to-middle income housing. 

In 2016, Rochester Management initiated a renovation project at the property. As part of the final stage of the project, a new fully accessible community center and office were built on the property, providing additional space for residents to gather and socialize.

The city extended the property’s reversion agreement, ensuring that Chatham Gardens can continue to provide affordable housing to area families for years to come, and provided the necessary approval for its refinancing through CPC.

CPC provided a $3.2 million construction loan as well as a permanent loan funded through the company’s partnership with the New York State Common Retirement Fund.

Two local firms, Konopka Architecture and BLM Construction, handled the design and construction of the community center and office building. Rochester Management’s own maintenance team completed the interior apartment renovations.

As part of the project, new bathrooms and kitchens were installed, including new cabinetry, countertops, flooring and Energy Star appliances. In addition, roofs, boilers and the domestic hot water system were replaced. 

“Chatham Gardens has been an important part of our nonprofit’s ability to provide quality, affordable housing here in Rochester for more than 50 years,” said Peggy Hill, CEO of Rochester Management.  “We’re proud to be able to reinvest in this community and this neighborhood, providing more modernized housing and amenities for the families that call Chatham Gardens home.”

“I want to congratulate Rochester Management and the Community Preservation Corp. on the successful completion of the Chatham Gardens renovation project,” said mayor Lovely Warren. “The Rochester community is extremely fortunate to have such partners who are committed to providing citizens with access to decent and affordable housing. Thanks to their investment, Chatham Gardens can continue its legacy as a pillar of stability in this Upper Falls neighborhood. Rochester Management and the Community Preservation Corp. are critical partners in our goals to create more jobs, safer and more vibrant neighborhoods and better educational opportunities.”

“Mitchell-Lama housing, like Chatham Gardens, has long history of serving as an irreplaceable resource of quality, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers,” said Miriam Zinter, mortgage officer at CPC’s Rochester office. “The rehabilitation of Chatham Gardens and the preservation of its affordability means that it will continue to serve the housing needs of the tenants and the community for years to come. My thanks to Rochester Management, mayor Warren and the city of Rochester, and to comptroller DiNapoli and the New York State Common Retirement Fund.”