Senior housing project planned
CRANBERRY TWP — Plans for the township's second affordable housing project for seniors continue to move ahead, most recently with the help of the Butler County commissioners.
It should be under construction by next spring.
The county commissioners earlier this month approved a $300,000 loan from its affordable housing deed fees as the first step toward getting the financing for the project in place.
Kellaur Pointe, which will be on five acres off Powell Road, will provide 72 one bedroom apartments of affordable housing for seniors 55 years old and older.
The building will include a laundry room, a community room, computer center and 24-hour emergency maintenance. The apartments will be about 540 square feet each with all utilities included.
The project is expected to cost $9.36 million, with the construction costs at $6.86 million and $2.5 million in miscellaneous costs, according to the Butler County Housing and Redevelopment Authority.
The project is being funded through the loan from the county, $1.44 million from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, $5.6 million in low incoming housing tax credits and another $2 million in other financing.
The housing authority officials have met with township staff about the proposed project, but the authority has not submitted a land development application to the township.
The project will need approvals from the township planning commission and the township supervisors before construction could begin.
This project would be the second senior affordable housing complex in the township. It will join the Rolling Road Regency Apartments, which opened in late 2004 and was filled immediately.
The Rolling Road Regency has 50 one-bedroom units for people 55 and older.
"The whole building filled within 60 days of its opening," said Perry O'Malley, housing authority director. "We now have a 13-year waiting list. It probably would be longer, but I think some seniors when they learn how long the list is, stop calling."
Township manager Jerry Andree said the township for years had worked on senior housing projects.
"Perry (O'Malley) demonstrated the popularity of the Rolling Road project by the long waiting list for that complex —- significantly longer than other facilities in Butler County," said Andree. "This only verified what we knew to be the case, as repeatedly we heard from our residents about this need through our comprehensive plan updates."
Kellaur Pointe will be near the entrance to the Park Place development and the new Graham Park off Rochester Road.
The developers are the Kellaur Corp. and Larry Dorsch, who is also a partner in the Park Place traditional neighborhood development.
Park Place will feature a mix of housing types with retail and offices and an array of small parks. It will have 796 residential units.
