Town of Cortlandville to Hold Public Hearing Regarding Planned Short-term Transitional Residential Home Operated by Catholic Charities

During Wednesday’s Cortlandville Town Board meeting, the town board ultimately decided to hold off giving Catholic Charities of Cortland County the greenlight to begin their approval process for a short-term transitional housing project on Starr Road. The town board elected to hold a public hearing prior to any approval of the site for Catholic Charities in order to allow the public an opportunity to ask questions or provide comment/feedback on the project.

The public hearing will be held during their next town board meeting on Wednesday, December 17th at 5pm at the town hall.

Catholic Charities of Cortland County looks to construct a single-building, short-term transitional community residence on Starr Road. The property in question is currently an open field across from Abdallah Ave. in the town.

The project would have a residential capacity of 14 individuals in 14-bedrooms. The building would be staffed 24/7 by professionals in providing supportive housing and rehabilitative services that are designed to assist residents in developing independent living skills and help them successfully transition into the community.

Providing detailed information to the town board during Wednesday’s meeting was Executive Director of Catholic Charities of Cortland County, Tim Lockwood.

The town itself has three options since receiving a notice from the organization on the proposed project. They are: Approve the site proposed, suggest one or more alternative sites that could accommodate the facility, or object to the establishment of the facility.

Mr. Lockwood provided an overview of the planned project, including renderings, location on the parcel itself, and who would reside within the facility. He began to inform the board the organization was awarded funding back in 2022 by the NYS Office of Mental Health to construct and operate the facility.

“So this is a 14-bed residence. It’s a short-term residence. Four to six month stay basically is what it is. You can think of it as a part of the continuing care of somebody. So when you have someone who is inpatient in a psych center or in a hospital, they would then step-down into a lower level of care and then they would go into community living.” Lockwood said. “So we’re that step-down. This is that step-down place for somebody.”

The facility would be designated for those experiencing mental health issues. He stressed this is not a shelter, inpatient facility, and drop-in or a walk-in site. The referral process to get into the facility is very strict, he added.

“People that will be there will be adults that have a diagnosed mental health condition, but are not required an inpatient level of care to stay at another facility.” Lockwood said. “Everybody that comes into the residence will be screened, they’ll have to go through a referral process. They’ll have to go through the county’s single-point of access that is set up for these types of situations. And have to be appropriate for community based living.”

Residents at the facility would stay between 4 and 6 months and then move onto community living, another housing program, or living back with family. The goal is to help residents transition back into permanent community living.

Catholic Charities already operates two 24/7 facilities, both within the City of Cortland. One facility is for those with mental health diagnoses and another for substance use disorders. He says both facilities are within neighborhoods and do not experience major issues. Lockwood brought up an issue that was faced was residents being accidentally picked up in a neighbors driveway, which he added was resolved quickly. He continued on to say as the facilities are staffed 24/7 issues are resolved quickly if any are discovered.

“This is a highly regulated residence. [It is] regulated by the [Office of Mental Health]. A lot of procedures and policies and protocols that we must follow.” Lockwood said.

The facility would also create jobs within the town with staffing. Lockwood said Catholic Charities would hire about 20 new professional jobs with the addition of the facility. Positions would include licensed clinicians, nursing staff, mental health peers, residential counselors, and management staff.

The building would be setback away from Starr Road on the 11 acre parcel and set away from nearby Parti Drive. Lockwood said it would be near the dip in the property prior to the hill and tree line. He added that he plans to add additional buffers of landscaping between the building and Parti Drive. The entrance to the residential facility would be lined up as close to the intersection of Starr and Abdullah as possible. The building is designed to look like a residence.

When asked by a Councilmember why Catholic Charities chose this site, Mr. Lockwood said his organization looked at countless sites and had narrow options that the Office of Mental Health would give approval for.

Lockwood said he planned to host a meeting with neighboring residents, sometime in January, regarding the planned project, but was waiting until the town gave their “ok” that the site may be used for the project. It should be noted, Catholic Charities would still be required to go through both the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Planning Board for variances and approvals.

Town Attorney Fran Casullo suggested that the town hold off on voting on one of the three options the town had for the project as mentioned above until the town held a public hearing. Town Supervisor Greg Leach agreed as did Councilmembers.

Lockwood said he is more than happy to come back during the public hearing to answer any questions neighboring residents may have during the public hearing on Wednesday, December 17th at 5pm.