Cooperstown, Oneonta
Face Common Problem
That the aristocratic Village of Cooperstown and funky City of Oneonta are so different adds texture and richness to the experience of living in Otsego County.
Different as they may be, it turns out they are united by the same challenge: Both lack sufficient housing to thrive.
Cooperstown’s school and downtown are suffering from a declining population. Oneonta’s colleges and institutions attract young professionals, but many have to commute from afar.
Thinking people understand it: More housing is needed. Still, community opposition and lawsuits have stymied development in both places.
Housing doesn’t mean despoilment. In Oneonta, does market-rate housing have to include a dozen units for residents in rehab? In Cooperstown, do apartment complexes need to be jammed into streets lined with elegant homes?
Yes, build we must. For two views from the trenches, look below, to columns by consultant Alan Cleinman, who envisions Oneonta as a community of high-paid, low-maintenance “knowledge workers,” and Tim Hayes the SUNY Oneonta development officer and brainy president of the Cooperstown Central school board.
I would like to see more housing available that is affordable to the middle and lower classes. 900.00 to 1200. is outrageous for people whose income is only double that. Please work on helping elderly and the ones who need reduced housing costs. Also a few units for the homeless would be good.
People in rehab need a place to live too. Prejudice. If there was no problem there would be no need for rehab. We have a problem and not providing needed housing is not going to fix people in need of help
There does need to be more housing for families. There are mostly housing for college students. There is also not enough parking for people who live in the downtown town area. There needs to be overnight parking in the downtown area where you wont get ticketed. There used to be over night parking on wall street. Until the city decided that they needed more money and posted a sign on the street 2 days before college students came back from winter break. The sign is atleast 12 to 15 feet away from the street up against the wrought iron fence. I do not know what the legal feet that a sign has to be away from the street. However, you cant see the sign when pulling up to the street and park. I know this because I got a ticket. The sign reads no parking between 2am and 6am. I received my ticket at 930am. Which should not have been given, as it wasn’t during the correct time period.