CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Longtime Charleston attorney Pat Maroney was on hand Tuesday morning to help break ground on a new apartment complex named in his honor, the Thomas Patrick Maroney Unity Apartments. Construction for the apartments will begin on the site at the corner of Shrewsbury and Lewis Streets next week.
The 14-unit, $2.1 million project is being built with certain kinds of tenants in mind. The kitchens and bathrooms will all be wheelchair friendly.
“This will provide affordable housing for people with special needs,” explained Maroney.
The project is being paid for with funding from the Housing and Urban Development Authority, or HUD, through Human Resources Development and Employment, a private, non-profit corporation, dedicated to providing housing for those with disabilities, the elderly and families.
“There’s always a need because folks at any age can become afflicted with a problem that requires special needs and special help,” said Maroney. “Yet they can still live independently, on their own, and be in a safe, affordable environment.”
Maroney has served as the legal council for the West Virginia AFL-CIO since 1972. The union has been involved in many HRDE projects over the years. The attorney said he’s honored they chose to name the building after him and he stressed it couldn’t have been located in a more strategic part of Charleston.
“They’re within walking or wheelchair distance of the (Capitol) Market which has everything they would need for food supplies from a fresh meat market, fresh produce, fresh fish.”
Construction should be complete within ten months. The AFL-CIO will begin taking applications from potential tenants starting the first of June.
HRDE operates similar complexes in Morgantown, Fairmont, South Charleston, Cross Lanes and Parkersburg.
Maroney is also the former chairman of the West Virginia Democratic Party.