Pictured is a rendering of the Gateway Lofts project meant to transform the former Chautauqua Hardware Factory into a 110-unit, multi-family affordable housing complex. Submitted file photo

A special meeting of the city’s Planning Commission is set for Wednesday with a focus once again on the ongoing Gateway Lofts project.

The project is being done by Southern Tier Environments for Living and is designed to renovate the Gateway Center, which is the former Chautauqua Hardware factory at 31 Water Street, into a 110-unit, multi-family affordable housing complex, which will be anchored by supportive wrap-around services. The $67 million project is a collaboration among Community Helping Hands, the YWCA of Jamestown, and STEL, and has been in the works since 2020.

The special planning commission meeting is set for March 5 at 3:30 p.m. in the police training room of city hall. The only thing on the agenda is a presentation from the Gateway Loft’s project team.

The project was presented most recently to the planning commission during their last meeting by Lindsey Haubenreich with the Phillips Lytle law firm, in mid-February. During this meeting it was noted that while the project has been in the works since 2020, like many other projects, it lost its investor and STEL now has to find a new source of funding for the project.

Haubenreich said during that meeting that they are at the final stages with the New York State Housing Finance Agency, the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency and the New York State Empire State Development, to secure finances for the project to move forward into the redevelopment stages. A financing application is due at the end of March and Haubenreich said if they do not have approval for the project they will have to wait another year to apply.

Principal Planner Ellen Shadle said the need for a special meeting comes because of not having internally conducted the staff review with the project team, something that is a required procedural component of the approval process, and because a special meeting was requested.

“The special meeting was requested by some of the commissioners and the chair was in agreement that it would be useful,” Shadle said. “The Planning Commission was in consensus that a subsequent presentation with some additional materials that would further contextualize the project would support their ability to make an informed decision when it is presented to them for a vote.”

With the original submission of the project to the planning commission coming back in May 2018, Shadle said projects of this scope and scale tend to not be a linear process, and a number of variables can impact the progression, including pandemics and financial difficulties. At this point, she said the project is finally gaining some momentum.

“There are a lot of moving parts to coordinate before even a shovel goes into the ground which only continue after that shovel hits ground,” Shadle said. “Any perception of it moving quickly is a reflection of the project getting the momentum it needs from crucial resources and partnerships to move forward at this point.”

Overall, as the special meeting is the next step to helping the project move forward, Shadle said people should expect to see a project that is going to be very helpful for the local community.

“The most important thing to know is that this is a project that is going to have a positive effect on the community, thanks to its mindful planning and coordinated efforts across stakeholder groups,” Shadle said.