A new center for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities is planned for the Rochester area, combining the Mary Cariola Center school and the University of Rochester Golisano Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Institute. Tom Golisano committed $75 million in funding, with an additional $4 million from the state. The Marketplace Mall is being evaluated as the potential site.
This rendering of the proposed Mary Cariola Center location at Marketplace Mall was provided to 13WHAM Friday, March 20, 2026. Henrietta, N.Y. — Plans are moving forward to bring a new center for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities to the Rochester area.
Tom Golisano announced Friday $75 million in previously committed funding will go toward a first-of-its-kind facility that would house both the Mary Cariola Center school and the University of Rochester Golisano Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Institute. "This has always been about building something bigger than a facility," Golisano said in a statement. "By bringing Mary Cariola Center School and the Golisano Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Institute together on one campus, we are creating an environment where education, research, clinical care, and family services work hand in hand. That collaboration is what will truly improve the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities."Golisano said Marketplace Mall is being evaluated as the potential site of the campus, with University of Rochester officials "actively evaluating available space." Later Friday morning, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced an additional $4 million investment from the state to "transform a significant portion" of the mall "into a modern, accessible educational campus for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and complex medical needs." "New York is proud to support the Mary Cariola Center as it reimagines this former retail space into a hub of opportunity, care and inclusion for children and families," Hochul said in a statement. "This investment will help create a safe, accessible and innovative learning environment where students with complex needs can thrive close to home while strengthening connections to critical health services."Erica Dayton, executive director of the Golisano Foundation, said the facility will have the capacity to serve approximately 450 students. "These students deserve an opportunity for education just as much as every other student in New York state," Dayton said. "And unfortunately, it's not always the case that they get the high-quality, state-of-the-art things, so this is Tom putting a stake in the ground and saying, 'They do deserve that, and I'm going to support it,' and we hope that others will follow along and support it and create a new standard of quality and care for people with disabilities." Karen Zandi, president of the Mary Cariola Center, said she "almost drove off the street" when Dayton called her with the amout of money Mary Cariola would be receiving. "The last several weeks, as we've been saying, 'OK, when is ready to make an announcement?' I've been like popcorn," Zandi said. "The staff have been asking, like, every day, so our staff are really excited about it.""I was very disappointed when the landmark Marketplace Mall shut down despite multiple incentive zoning efforts by the Town to save it," Schultz said in a statement. "So, I am very elated that there will be a bright future for the facility. The opening of the Mary Cariola Center in the Mall, supported by a generous donation from Tom Golisano and state funding from Governor Kathy Hochul, along with the colocation of the University of Rochester’s future Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Institute, will bring new life to the former Mall and transform it into a state-of-the-art school for students with IDD and medical challenges and will have right next door, support, care and services for those students and others. We are pleased to be adding Mary Cariola to our community and very excited about the possibilities that this comprehensive, new facility will bring to the lives of those who need or can benefit from their services." An inspection is slated to happen next week, which Schultz said is due in part to regulations for schools and healthcare facilities. "The structure of the roof might not be able to support that HVAC equipment," Schultz said. "In which case they might have to take that down.""The mall has already lost hundreds of millions of dollars of value over the years, and that's been absorbed by other new construction coming on," Schultz said. "So folks like the sky works that are coming in on Calkins Road or the new Bob Johnson on West Henrietta Road,. As these new businesses come in, they'll add to the tax base, hopefully to the point where they'll replace the loss of the remaining mall, which isn't worth a whole lot right now, to be honest," Schultz said. Zandi said Mary Cariola will submit an application to the town next week for use variance, and the deal to move to Marketplace likely won't be finalized until the fall."I've said to our staff — who are actually jumping for joy, by the way — if you're going to buy a house in this market right now, you might waive the engineer's inspection. We can't do that," Zandi said. "There's several contingencies that we have — it's got to meet the needs."The Rochester Police Department said an officer was shot overnight after stopping to talk to someone in the area of Driving Park and Lake avenues.Greece, N.Y. — A 50-year-old Greece man is expected to survive after police say he was repeatedly stabbed during a violent confrontation in a driveway on SharoHenrietta, N.Y. — Plans are moving forward to bring a new center for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities to the Rochester area.Police said a 5-year-old girl has serious injuries after she and her mother were attacked by a dog Thursday afternoon in Spencerport.Rochester, N.Y. — The New York Lottery announced one top-prize winning ticket was sold in Rochester for the March 20 Take 5 evening drawing.The winning ticket,
Intellectual Disabilities Developmental Disabilities Mary Cariola Center Golisano Institute Rochester
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