Financing wrapped up for new Irwin senior apartments

Rich Cholodofsky, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
·2 min read

Nov. 6—Construction for the Westmoreland County Housing Authority's proposed 50-unit senior living community in Irwin is expected to begin Dec. 10.

Housing authority Executive Director Michael Washowich said financing for the $14 million project will be complete next month, setting the stage for a 16-month construction period that is slated to be wrap up in May 2024.

"We've been meeting weekly and we're very excited about this project," Washowich said.

County commissioners Friday approved the final funding piece for the project by accepting more than $2.3 million in federal low-interest loans that will be turned over to the housing authority to cover the remaining costs of the construction.

The loan amount had to be increased by $800,000 to make up for rising costs caused by inflation, Commissioner Doug Chew said.

No money from the county budget was allocated for the housing authority project, officials said.

The Grand View site is being financed predominately with more than $9 million generated through tax credits funded through the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.

The four-story, 50-unit Grand View Senior Residences will be built on a 17-acre parcel on Laurel Avenue behind the Norwin Library near Route 30. The project will include one- and two-bedroom apartments for low-income residents 62 and older. Authority officials said 10 apartments will be set aside for veterans.

It will be the authority's third construction project in the last decade, joining South Greengate Commons in Hempfield, which opened in 2014, and its adjoining sister facility, Odin View Apartments, completed in 2020.

Meanwhile, the authority previously announced its intention to build single-family cottages for seniors near the Grand View Senior Residences facility on a portion of the same property that stretches into North Huntingdon.

The authority operates about 2,500 housing units in 36 communities throughout the county.

Washowich said planning has begun for another development, a 24-unit complex that includes cottages for senior citizens to be built on 2 acres near Norvelt that was donated to the agency by the Catholic Diocese of Greensburg. Financing has yet to be finalized, and a construction schedule has not been determined, Washowich said.

Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich by email at rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .