Westmoreland County housing director defends senior project for Irwin

Irwin will benefit financially from a proposed $14 million, 50-unit apartment building for low-income senior citizens, according to the county’s housing director.

“We’re really heavily invested in Westmoreland County. We’re really heavily invested in Irwin Borough,” Michael Washowich, executive director of the Westmoreland County Housing Authority, told borough officials.

Washowich attended the council meeting on Wednesday in response to criticism about the project on social media and concerns raised by borough officials.

He displayed plans for Grand View Senior Residences — a four-story building slated for an undeveloped site off Laurel Avenue. It’s behind the Norwin Public Library on Caruthers Lane.

It will feature 46 one-bedroom apartments and four two-bedroom units.

Construction could begin next year and be completed in 2023.

Eight units will be designated for veterans. Washowich said that was a request by the late Donald Kattic, former commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in North Huntingdon.

Rent will be income based and is expected to average $760 for a one-bedroom unit and $1,034 for two bedrooms. Tenants are expected to pay about 30% of their monthly income for the rent, Washowich said.

Councilwoman Leslie Savage had raised concerns during a July 6 council meeting about negative comments on social media about the housing project. Savage said at the time that there already is low-income senior citizen housing, Irwin Manor, in the borough’s downtown district.

Washowich said he hoped his presentation can quash some of the negativity on social media. He suggested they see recent housing projects in Hempfield — South Greengate Commons and Odin View apartments — to see the quality of their housing.

“What I don’t appreciate is that some residents are misinformed,” he said.

Savage thinks the development is too costly. When that $14 million estimate is divided equally among the 50 units, that comes to about $275,000 per unit.

“It’s just not right,” Savage said.

But Erik Spiegel, the authority’s chief operating officer, said that the estimate includes “soft costs” not directly related to the apartments.

The cost includes the architectural drawings and engineering, the stormwater system, legal costs and capital improvements. There’s also site preparation, grading and and road construction.

To pay for the majority of the project, Washowich said that the housing authority has applied to the Pennsylvania Housing Finance for approval of federal tax credits, which investors would purchase from the authority and be able to use over a 10-year period. The authority is anticipating a decision in September on its application. If there is no decision, Washowich said they will resubmit the application next year for federal tax credits for the low-income housing project.

If approved for the tax credits, the authority would seek financing to cover the remainder of the cost. The project would move into the final design phase, with a 12-month construction period beginning next spring , Spiegel said.

In the second phase of development on the site, the authority has plans to build 30 cottages for senior citizens in the North Huntingdon section of the property.

But, Spiegel said, “that is not set in stone.”