Description

Join Liberty Affordable Housing, Inc. at a formal ribbon cutting for its latest redevelopment project: the historic Olbiston Apartments.

The property, originally constructed between 1896 and 1900, has undergone a more than $80 million rehabilitation to its 153 units, adding a large, modern community room with kitchen on the 7th floor with sweeping views of the city and the greater Mohawk Valley. 

The Olbiston Apartments, originally built in the wake of a devastating fire which leveled its predecessor, Genesee Flats, will service a previously unmet population within the city: workforce housing. Of the 153 units, the property will consist of 32 studios/efficiencies, 92 one-bedroom apartments, and 29 two-bedroom apartments. The primary tenants served by the property will be earning between 60- and 80-percent of the Area Median Income.

The project, which took 27 months to complete, featured a top-to-bottom rehabilitation of all common areas and units, including new state of the art kitchens and bathrooms, the complete restoration of existing and salvageable marble, hardwood floors, fireplace mantles, balconies, state-of-the-art heating and cooling units, and brand-new windows and doors throughout each apartment. 

In addition to the community room, amenities offered to residents will include a computer center, WiFi, on-site laundry facility, storage lockers, access to mass transit, walking distance to downtown Utica, local venues/event centers, secure building with key fob access, 24-hour maintenance. Other key rehabilitations to the buildings common areas include fresh landscaping, new sidewalks, and a parking lot. 

Liberty also upgraded the building’s infrastructure by installing state-of-the-art boilers, heating and cooling systems, as well as new insulation. Besides hot water and backup utilities, the building will be individually metered run entirely by electricity. 

Following the formal ceremony, please join us for a tour and refreshments.