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Nonprofit Proposes Green, Blockchain‑Enabled Affordable Housing Pilot; Council Asks About Scale and Costs
Summary
A nonprofit-led coalition proposed a pilot to develop net‑zero, technology-enabled affordable housing (initially apartments) across Northeastern Pennsylvania; council members sought details on funding, timelines, and partnerships and were advised the project would pursue state-level policy support.
Rashida Lovely, CEO of a nonprofit and small-business owner, presented a regional proposal for an affordable-housing pilot that combines passive-house design, solar and geothermal energy, smart-grid monitoring, atmospheric water generation and a blockchain-based ledger for energy and utility management.
Lovely said the initiative aims to produce apartment-style units for families with near‑zero utility costs, create local construction jobs (with at least 50 percent local hiring targets), and test decentralized energy monitoring using an IoT and blockchain protocol called Bloop. She described plans to start in 2026 with an administrative and partnership year in 2025, do new construction in Lackawanna County and focus on rehabilitation projects in Luzerne County, and scale up in 2027.
Council members and staff asked operational questions. Councilmember Flora asked whether the project is a pilot; Lovely said yes. Manager Crocomo and councilmembers suggested coordinating with land banks for rehab opportunities. Councilmember Liscavage and others asked how upfront green-technology costs would be balanced against long-term utility savings; Lovely said the pilot targets multi‑unit buildings (not single-family homes) to achieve economies of scale and that state-level legislation (which organizers are pursuing) could further incentivize developers.
Public commenter Mark Raybo criticized blockchain and green-technology assumptions as unrealistic for large apartment buildings; other councilmembers thanked the presenter and suggested further technical and financial details would be necessary before county involvement.
Ending: No formal action was taken. Council asked the presenter to follow up with technical and financial details, and staff suggested outreach to county land banks and other local partners for potential rehab sites.
