Sen. Ritchie Attends Groundbreaking for Jefferson County Housing

Joins State LG Duffy, Army MG Milley at Beaver Meadow Apartments Event

Senator Patty Ritchie joined Lt. Governor Robert J. Duffy and Major General Mark Milley, along with other state and local officials to break ground on the newest project to ease the North Country’s critical housing crunch.

“The groundbreaking this morning for Beaver Meadow Apartments is just the latest in our efforts to work together to help insure that civilian and military families will be able to find adequate housing as our troops return from Iraq and Afghanistan,” Senator Ritchie said. “Last January, Jefferson County was facing a shortage of over 1,000 housing units. Over the past year, I have been working with the Jefferson County Legislature, the Development Authority of the North Country, the city of Watertown, Governor Cuomo and his key housing people to work with me to solve this problem.”

Beaver Meadow includes 296 new apartment units for low and moderate income families. About $2.4 million in tax credits are being made available through the state Division for Housing and Community Renewal.

Last week, Governor Cuomo and Lt. Governor Duffy announced that $4 million in state assistance would be made available for Jefferson County related housing projects as a result of the region’s selection as a winner in the competitive economic development grants program.

“This new housing will create new jobs, help put more people to work and help businesses across the North Country,” Senator Ritchie said. “These new housing projects will also make sure that needy families are not driven out of the housing market as our returning troops bring their families to Fort Drum.”