New senior citizen apartment building opens in Uniontown
Jim Stark of Fayette County Community Action speaks at the dedication ceremony of the Maple Garden Apartments on July 8, 2011
David Burg of PIRHL speaks at the dedication ceremony of the Maple Garden Apartments on July 8, 2011
Maple Garden Apartments first official tenent Darlene Martin speaks about life at the new complex at the dedication ceremony on July 8, 2011
?One of the first residents of a senior citizen apartment building in Uniontown said Friday that she feels like she无毛视频檚 home.
Darlene Martin said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony that she无毛视频檚 been living at Maple Garden Apartments on Gallatin Avenue for about one month.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 become my home, and I feel like I无毛视频檝e lived here forever,无毛视频� Martin said.
The $7.2 million senior citizen apartment building is already one-third full, said Dave Burg of Partnership for Income Restricted Housing Leadership (PIRHL). The Ohio-based company is one of the partners in the development with Fayette County Community Action Agency (FCCAA).
Burg estimated that by the fall, the three-story, 36-unit complex would be filled up.
Jim Stark, executive director of FCCAA, said discussion about the apartment complex started several years ago, but actual construction did not start until the spring of 2010.
无毛视频淭he city has been going through a challenging period, as we all know,无毛视频� Stark said. 无毛视频淲e believe that the Maple Garden Apartments is part of the solution by helping to contribute to the local tax base and improving the value of the city无毛视频檚 apartment buildings.无毛视频�
Financing for the project was provided by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, Uniontown Redevelopment Authority, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, Federal Home Loan Bank, the Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development and a federal grant, according to a release from FCCAA.
Burg said PIRHL got involved in the apartment project because officials realized there was a need for affordable senior citizen housing.
无毛视频淚t was screaming. It was glaring. We knew we had to do something about the need,无毛视频� Burg said.
Burg said there are three dedicated community rooms, a computer room/library and an exercise room in the complex. Twelve of the units are one-bedroom and 24 are two-bedroom units, and 92 percent of units are rent-restricted for seniors who are on fixed incomes.
Additionally, Burg said, the units are energy efficient, and the building itself is 无毛视频済reen,无毛视频� meaning environmentally friendly.
PIRHL Developers also worked on Uniontown Family Homes, which are 30 single-family, rent-to-own homes in the city. Those homes were filled in 2009.
Uniontown Mayor Ed Fike lauded the project, and said he had 无毛视频済oosebumps无毛视频� standing in the finished building.
无毛视频淭his ribbon-cutting ceremony represents a great day for the city of Uniontown and its residents. It signifies the continuation of a commitment to expand new housing development in the city无毛视频檚 older neighborhoods,无毛视频� Fike said. 无毛视频淭he Maple Garden Apartments complex provides another step in Uniontown无毛视频檚 Elm Street project and the revitalization of the Gallatin Avenue area, making a better place for Uniontown residents to live, work and raise their families,无毛视频� Fike said.
Martin encouraged anyone interested in the apartments to come and see them.
无毛视频淚 can only say that anybody who is considering moving into a situation like this, at this time in their lives, I hope they really will consider it and come by and take a look. It无毛视频檚 a beautiful place to live, the apartments are lovely, I think you无毛视频檒l love them. I know that I love living here,无毛视频� she said.
For more information or to obtain an application for the apartment complex, contact Uniontown Family Homes Office at 8 Diamond St., Uniontown, or call 724-550-4029.