Westmoreland housing authority completing 1 housing development, starting 2 others

Construction of the Westmoreland County Housing Authority’s most recent project is expected to be completed in the coming weeks, and residents could move in by late October.

Odin View Apartments in Hempfield, a $13.1 million project, will have 47 units in the three-story housing complex for low-income seniors and serve as a companion to South Greengate Commons, a similar building that opened in 2013 and located adjacent to a newly built parking area across the road from the authority’s headquarters.

The new apartments are sorely needed, according to housing authority Executive Director Michael Washowich.

“Since March, it’s been a trying time. We’ve processed over 200 applications since March 1, and that’s unheard of. Our occupancy rates are 97%, and, each and every week, we’re looking at ways to strategize,” Washowich said.

As of last week, the waiting list for apartments at Odin View was at 160. Another 150 people were in line for units at South Greengate Commons, where there are no vacancies.

The authority rents about 1,800 public housing units in 38 communities throughout Westmoreland County.

Officials said plans are in the works to continue to increase the authority’s housing inventory.

With work at Odin View nearing an end, the authority is looking at potential new construction in Greensburg, North Huntingdon and Norvelt.

The Norvelt project, on about 2 acres of land recently donated by the Catholic Diocese of Greensburg, could be used for small houses or cottages earmarked for low-income seniors, Washowich said.

Construction of 50 senior citizen apartments and another 38 cottages or patio homes is in the planning stages for a 17-acre property the authority purchased three years ago in North Huntingdon and Irwin, near the Norwin Library. Officials said the first phase of what is being called the Laurel Avenue project is expected to cost about $13 million.

“We’re still looking for funding, and the earliest we could get started (with construction) is in 2022,” Washowich said.

Authority officials said a new construction project at the site of the former First Commercial Bank building in downtown Greensburg also is in planning, but no start date or details have been finalized.

Meanwhile, the authority started work on an $8.5 million project to renovate Hempfield Towers and another $3 million in upgrades to Arnold Towers, both high-rise apartment buildings for low-income seniors and disabled residents.