Evergreen Park

     Public housing can be a real challenge for cities in their quest to provide affordable housing for low-income citizens. Making public housing green is an additional challenge. However, there are examples of how to overcome both of these and make green housing both affordable and good for the environment.

     One example is a public housing development in Potsdam, NY. Potsdam is located near the center of New York’s largest county, St. Lawrence. Together with Canton, a neighboring city in New York, Potsdam is the primary service center for the surrounding rural area. The developer of this project, Potsdam Housing Authority (PHA), was created 30 years ago to provide the community’s lower income families with quality rental housing alternatives. Racquette Acres was its first project, consisting of 100 units of housing for low-income families on a 12.5 acre site just off Sisson Road in the Village of Potsdam. A few years ago, the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority surveyed the property and called for major improvements as the buildings were getting old. PHA developed a comprehensive rehabilitation plan to reposition Racquette Acres as the most desirable family rental units in the region. The plan calls for complete interior replacement including new kitchen and bath fixtures, cabinets, counters and flooring. It also includes water and energy conserving fixtures and appliances and many other green features. Two major goals of the restoration are to improve access for the disabled and to improve energy efficiency. To carry out the plan with minimal disruption to current residents, the plan enabled residents to stay in their homes as long as possible, to relocate to other homes in the project while their building was being worked on, and to move back into the redone home as soon as possible. Along with these changes, Racquette Acres was renamed Evergreen Park.

     Major elements of the program include:

     • Site drainage, landscaping, pavement and walk upgrades, new playgrounds, and new patios.

     • Building improvements including new Energy Star windows, vinyl siding, fascia and soffits, caulking and sealing, and perimeter insulation.

     • Replacement of original light fixtures with energy-efficient designs.

     • Replacement of dysfunctional heaters with energy efficient, gas-forced air heating and energy efficient water heaters.

     • Hard-wired carbon monoxide detectors.

     • New common laundry building with energy efficient machines.

     • Abatement of asbestos-containing materials and mold.