Architect's rendering of the proposed multi-million dollar redevelopment of the former Earlville school building. Christopher Community, Inc. plans are to turn the space into affordable senior housing by 2027. (Photo shared by Christopher Community, Inc.)

EARLVILLE – The nonprofit agency behind a proposed multi-million dollar redevelopment of the former Earlville school building is moving ahead with plans of turning the space into affordable senior housing by 2027.

Christopher Community, Inc. (CCI), a Syracuse-based senior housing development and management company that’s working jointly with the Village of Earlville, recently secured $1.85 million through the state’s Restore New York Communities Initiative. Restore NY doled out more than $64 million total in July for revitalization, economic, and new residential opportunities in communities statewide.

The latest round of Restore NY awards to the Village of Earlville adds to a growing list of potential funding sources for CCI’s $18.1 million “Fayette Park Manor” project.

The venture entails an extensive overhaul of the school building, including demolition of the single-story 1956 addition on the building’s north end and construction of a new three-story addition that matches the appearance of the 1930s-era portion of the building.

“There is an unmet demand for quality affordable housing options for seniors in the rural areas across New York State,” said CCI President and CEO Justin Rudgick. “The quality of the existing housing stock in Upstate rural communities have declined over the years due to disinvestment, and the proposed Fayette Park Manor development will create the option for the construction of new quality affordable housing to allow our aging population of seniors to have a quality place to call home.