In an effort to understand the successful components of small community development projects in selected New York communities of less than 10,000 population, an analysis was made of the Sinclairville Project in Chautauqua County which rehabilitated an unused school building to function as a housing unit for senior citizens. Originally a group of local residents incorporated to purchase the building. The 23-unit, low-income apartment facility was the result of a four-year joint effort of the corporation, the county office for the aging, the county housing coordinator, the Charlotte town board, the local school board, community members, and a professional developer who secured funding through an FHA loan and a limited partnership to buy the building from the corporation. Community consequences were seen in the amelioration of the senior citizens' lives in the community, increased tax roles, the renewed use of the building, and improved community involvement, support and cooperation. Key elements of this and five similar New York projects were: (1) strategic use of a non-profit organization as a base of operation; (2) use of existing organizations and programs at the county level; (3) the mixture of public and private involvement; and (4) satisfactory use of an existing building, in terms of cost and accomodation. (JD)