Westmoreland housing authority secures federal funding to build Mt. Pleasant townhouses

The Westmoreland County Housing Authority has announced that a portion of its $5.6 million project to build 20 townhouses in Mt. Pleasant Township will be paid for through a federal grant.

Officials said the agency secured a $1.25 million grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh through its Affordable Housing Program to augment financing build Church View Senior Residences, which is currently under construction.

The grant will be used to offset $2.2 million of authority funds that had been earmarked toward the project, said Executive Director Michael Washowich.

Church View Senior Residences is among the 53 projects awarded funds from the federal program.

“This will allow us to expand our finances and direct our money to other projects,” Washowich said.

Ground was broken in July on the new complex on 2-acres donated to the authority by the Catholic Diocese of Greensburg adjacent to St. Florian Parish in Norvelt.

The project will feature one and two bedroom cottages for low and moderate income seniors. It is expected to completed next summer.

Washowich said the authority has already received 55 applications from would-be tenants. Reviews are underway.

Church View Senior Residences is among in a series of construction projects undertaken by the authority over the last decade.

Meanwhile, planning is continuing for construction of a four-story apartment complex on Route 51 in Rostraver.

In October, authority officials said the agency secured $15 million in federal tax credits as part of a financing package that includes a $1.3 million loan from Westmoreland County and $365,000 from the authority for what will be called Willowbrook Commons.