ROME, N.Y. — Human Technologies’ recently announced plans to build Copper Village — an affordable-housing community in South Rome — are about more than just helping fill the housing gap. The project also helps the nonprofit fulfill its mission to create employment for people with disabilities. The proposed $105 million project would create 250 housing […]
ROME, N.Y. — Human Technologies’ recently announced plans to build Copper Village — an affordable-housing community in South Rome — are about more than just helping fill the housing gap. The project also helps the nonprofit fulfill its mission to create employment for people with disabilities.
The proposed $105 million project would create 250 housing units split between one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments in three mid-rise buildings and 44 townhomes along the waterfront off Baptiste Avenue.
The idea got its start several years ago when Human Technologies President/CEO Timothy Giarrusso was looking for waterfront property for his own personal use. Instead, he found land for sale along the Erie Canal that he thought Human Technologies could put to use and play an active part in the city’s revitalization.
“When you have land, you’re at the table,” Giarrusso says. The Utica–based nonprofit purchased multiple parcels in Rome for $800,000 in 2018, according to Oneida County property records.
Human Technologies opted to create housing because there is a real need for working-class housing, he says. “There’s a significant shortfall in affordable housing for people not making six figures,” says Giarrusso. A total of 30 percent of the units at Copper Village will include supportive services with preference given to seniors and disabled veterans.
The not-for-profit social enterprise decided to partner with the Pennsylvania developer and property-management company Penrose to develop Copper Village, with Penrose set to manage the complex once complete.
That frees Human Technologies to focus on its mission of generating jobs for those with disabilities, it contends.
“When you have 250 housing units, there is an opportunity to create jobs there,” Giarrusso notes. Human Technologies, established in 1954, employs more than 325 people in several business lines including facilities management and environmental services, supply chain and order fulfillment, uniform and apparel-management services, and manufacturing and packaging operations.
Along with the housing units, Copper Village will also include at least 8,000 square feet of retail space for lease, Giarrusso says. He’s hoping Human Technologies can attract a daycare center as one of the tenants. A restaurant or even a microbrewery are other attractive options that would provide amenities to tenants.
The project still needs planning-board approval before it can begin, but Giarrusso hopes to break ground in the third quarter of 2024. Currently, Human Technologies is in the process of putting together funding sources for the project, he says. The nonprofit recently submitted a consolidated-funding application to Empire State Development.