WATERTOWN — Project manager Drew Laemmermann compared the construction of a four-story affordable housing project on Main Avenue to putting together Lego blocks.
Sections of the building were prefabricated by a company in Canada, and then they were put in place during the construction of the 63-unit affordable housing project on site at Main Avenue and Mill Street.
“You put A-1 with A-2 and get it all together,” he said.
Wearing construction hard hats, about 10 members of Advantage Watertown, a group of community leaders that meet monthly to talk about city issues, took a tour of the construction on Thursday morning.
Once finished, it will be Watertown’s first permanent housing for the unhoused in the city. In recent years, homelessness has become a worsening issue in the city, with numerous instances of the unhoused living on city streets with no permanent housing available for the most vulnerable.
Neighbors of Watertown Inc. is partnering with THRIVE Wellness and Recovery, a local nonprofit, to provide services for those living in the apartment building.
Of the 31 units for homeless people, 16 will serve those with mental health issues, and 15 will serve those with substance abuse issues. Between 40% and 60% of the homeless fall under those categories.
THRIVE will provide assistance in such areas as how to be a good tenant, getting medical and behavioral care, obtaining employment and educational opportunities, and making sure they get social services programs that they need.
“It’s not a homeless shelter,” said Reginald J. Schweitzer Jr., executive director of Neighbors of Watertown, adding that it’s designated as an Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative, or ESSH, program project.
Services provided by Thrive will help homeless people get into the building and prevent them from ending up on the street once again. They could first live in the homeless units, move to other apartments in the building, and perhaps find other housing, over time, in the community, said Schweitzer.
The block-long building has gone up quickly since Purcell Construction started building it in November. Construction is slated to be finished in February with occupancy by March 1, he said.
On Thursday, a crane was used to get solar panel equipment up to the building’s roof. Fourth Coast Inc., an energy company in Clayton, designed and is installing the solar array, which will supply about 30% of the power to the building.
Between 75 and 90 construction workers are working on the $20 million project daily, Schweitzer said. The project is about 70% completed.
“I think it’s a needed project, and I’m happy to see it coming to a finish,” Advantage Watertown chairman Jason White said.
Interior walls have been put up in apartments on the first through the third floors. The 650-square-foot units are all laid out the same way, with a kitchenette, bedroom, bathroom and small pantry. Workers also were using heavy equipment to deliver drywall to the fourth floor on Thursday.
The lobby and support staff offices will use space on the first floor, while floors two through four will have laundry rooms.
Michael A. Lumbis, planning and community development director, was among the city’s Planning Department staff who got their first look at the project.
“It looks great,” Lumbis said. “It’s transforming this section of Main Avenue for sure, and it’s filling a big need in the community.”
For now, some green space along nearby Mill Street will remain undeveloped but could be used for phase two for more housing in the future, Schweitzer said.
Last year, Neighbors secured $13.4 million in state funds for the project. THRIVE also will receive $773,243 annually from the Office of Mental Health to provide mental health and substance abuse services.
Neighbors is handling the construction aspect of the project. Purcell Construction is the general contractor.
While work continues on Main Avenue, construction is underway on another affordable housing facility on Commerce Drive that will provide about 30 units for the homeless.
Rochester developer DePaul Properties is constructing a 120-unit, multi-family affordable housing building that will provide permanent housing for the homeless, veterans, seniors, and people with mental health issues.
