Kennedy Glinn

Hamilton’s new Kendrick Apartments are now open, offering Colgate University faculty and staff a long-awaited housing option in the village. 

The Hamilton Initiative, the group behind Kendrick’s development, has invested more than $30 million to address community needs in Hamilton, N.Y., over the past two decades. Through a combination of strategic investment and long-term property management, the Initiative has played a significant role in revitalizing the village center by maintaining several key buildings that contribute to Hamilton’s economic and social development. 

Its latest project continues that effort: a new, mixed-use four-story building with 41 residential rental apartments and retail and commercial space. Designed primarily for Colgate University faculty and staff, this new housing landscape offers a long-anticipated solution to the limited housing options available to university employees while maintaining the charm of Hamilton. 

Mayor of Hamilton RuthAnn Loveless reflected on the establishment of the Kendrick Apartments and its importance to the broader community.

“Housing has been a priority for the Village and Colgate for many years,” Loveless said. “We know that we lose potential employees for not only Colgate, but the hospital, HCS and village businesses because people want to live in the community where they work. It is very difficult to entice a developer to build in our small village, and I applaud Colgate for being proactive and taking on this important project.” 

The development is located in proximity to Colgate’s campus, with a walk of approximately one mile. The project is part of a broader effort to address what university staff and local community members have described as a persistent housing shortage in Hamilton.

Residents and housing observers have pointed to a secondary-home market driven by Colgate families as a contributing factor in Hamilton’s housing shortage. First-year Caroline Rotteveel said the dynamic has come up among students as well.

“I heard from another Colgate student that a lot of parents of students are buying houses in the area, which really limits faculty from finding affordable housing in Hamilton,” Rotteveel said. “I think these apartments are going to be a good solution to this issue.”

For Colgate’s faculty members, the availability of nearby housing has long been a concern. New hires often have difficulty finding homes within a reasonable distance of campus, forcing faculty to commute from neighboring towns.  

Eddie Watkins, a member of the Village Zoning Board of Appeals and professor of biology at Colgate, believes that the new Kendrick Apartments will positively impact the university’s ability to recruit and retain staff. As a long-term resident of Hamilton who has been involved in the project since its beginning, he finds this housing solution critical. 

“Not only are they going to provide more physical space, but they are also going to be priced in a way that faculty can afford them,” Watkins said. “Right now, it’s almost impossible for a new faculty member to buy a house in the village because they’re so expensive, even on a professor’s salary.”

According to representatives from Hamilton Initiative LLC, the new residences were designed with both practicality and long-term sustainability in mind. The building includes a mix of unit types to accommodate different household needs, offering 15 one-bedroom apartments ranging from approximately 745 to 1,035 square feet and 26 two-bedroom apartments ranging from 1,041 to 1,515 square feet. 

The first floor features a lobby, retail, office and commercial spaces, as well as a public courtyard on the east side of the building. This courtyard creates a pedestrian connection between Utica and Madison streets, encouraging interaction between residents and the broader community while enhancing walkability in the village center. 

The development’s location is another key selling point. Situated within walking or biking distance of campus, the residences are expected to reduce reliance on cars. Although 37 parking spaces are available on-site, the proximity to campus may make driving unnecessary for many residents. This accessibility also allows faculty to more easily participate in campus life, from attending events to engaging with students outside the classroom. 

“The apartment building is a beautiful and important addition to the Village,” Loveless said. “It provides much-needed housing, will increase foot traffic and energy in the downtown area, and eventually add to our tax rolls. The fact that residents must be full-time residents is critically important and reinforces the mission.”

Loveless also commended the consistent collaboration between her and the construction company that built the Kendrick Apartments.   

“Before a shovel went into the ground, Christa Construction met weekly with me and village staff to plan the infrastructure and ways we needed to coordinate efforts,” Loveless said. “I have been pleased with the way the company and my staff have worked together throughout the process.” 

As construction wraps up and residents begin to move in, both Colgate and the village of Hamilton will be watching closely to see how the new faculty housing shapes the community’s future. 

Watkins emphasizes his belief that this will be a long-term solution for the village of Hamilton, both for affordable housing for faculty and to build community among Colgate students and faculty. 

“I can’t speak for the university, but I think the vision … is to be a residential liberal arts institution. I think the university would love to have faculty seeing students at the grocery store … and interacting on a social level,” Watkins said.