Despite an Albany housing developer’s recent decision to abandon the Jefferson Apartment project planned off Route 11 in the town of LeRay that would have paid for a substantial amount of the Johnson Road project, Town Council decided Thursday to develop a revised engineering plan for the project to save money and still break ground on the road this spring.

The revised plan will be drafted by Town Engineer Kris D. Dimmick, vice president of municipal engineering for Bernier, Carr & Associates. The new plan will remove several aspects of the project that were originally needed by the housing developer and no longer are required, which should markedly lower the total cost, Mr. Dimmick said. Examples include the storm drainage system and sewer water base that would have connected the road to the apartments.

The project, which would extend Johnson Road about one mile to connect with Taylor Road, is estimated to cost in the range of $1.7 million to $2 million. That price tag would eventually climb to about $3 million after the installation of water and sewer lines in the area, a project that would be completed separately.

There is still an outside chance that another housing developer, American Fidelity Holdings based in Utah, will decide to move forward on a project to build a 150-unit apartment complex in the area, located where the new road would intersect Taylor Road, said Steven T. Harter, administrative clerk to the LeRay supervisor.

He said the developer has verbally committed to contributing $250,000 for the Johnson Road project and is now in negotiations with officials from the Community Rental Housing Program Committee.

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