The renovations will reconfigure apartment sizes, which are currently too small. When complete, the building will offer 74 one-bedroom apartments for seniors and people with disabilities. Amenities include communal spaces, laundry facilities, and an outdoor courtyard for recreation. The Rome Housing Authority will employ a full-time maintenance superintendent on site.
To achieve net-zero carbon emissions, the building will utilize heating and cooling service from onsite geothermal wells connected to individual ground-source heat pumps, individual energy-recovery ventilators to provide fresh air and exhaust stale air, central heat pump hot water heaters with a recirculation loop, and a solar photovoltaic array to cover 98 percent of the annual electricity production in the building.
The building’s exterior walls will be replaced with a highly efficient and cost-effective system of exterior windows and wall panels. The panels provide a stronger and more durable exterior that will help reduce energy costs.
Beacon Communities Development LLC of Boston, Massachusetts and the Rome Housing Authority are serving as project developers. Project financing includes $2 million in permanent tax-exempt bonds, federal low-income housing tax credits that will generate $16.6 million in equity, and $12.5 million in subsidy from New York State Homes and Community Renewal. The project also received $1 million in the second round of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s Buildings of Excellence competition and $260,000 through its New Construction-Housing Program. Additional financing is provided by the Rome Housing Authority and a deferred developer fee.
Renovations to Colonial I Apartments were completed in 2019. That complex offers 83 units for seniors and people with disabilities.
The recently enacted state budget includes a $25 billion, five-year housing plan to increase housing supply by creating or preserving 100,000 affordable homes across the state, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations plus the electrification of an additional 50,000 homes.