Senior citizen housing project set to abut library development
LONDON: A senior citizen housing enclave will abut a public library precinct.
The proposed $12 million, 50-unit senior housing project in Irwin was recommended for approval by the borough’s planning commission by a 2-1 vote.
But the Westmoreland County Housing Authority project is opposed by some North Huntingdon residents, who say in addition to increasing traffic it could possibly reduce the value of nearby properties and increase the potential for flooding in a stream.
Despite that, Irwin Planning Commission members recommended council approve the plans for the apartment building to be located near Norwin Public Library.
Council approval is required for the land development plan the housing authority presented for its Grand View Senior Residences off Laurel Avenue.
Planning Commission members Rick Burdelski and John Marrow voted to recommend the site plans, while Tony Marsiglio opposed it. Planning commission member Nick Poole had left the meeting prior to the vote and John Catanzaro was absent.
The recommended approval, however, is contingent upon the housing authority fulfilling a list of conditions presented to the borough engineer.
Marsiglio said he wanted to wait to vote on the plans until the housing authority meets all of the engineer’s requirements.
With the necessary approvals, the housing authority would like to begin work at the site in late summer or early fall, said Erik Spiegel, the agency’s director of architecture and engineering. The authority has said it would take more than a year to complete construction of the four-story apartment building.
The project, intended as housing for income-eligible seniors, is expected to cost up to $12 million. Another $2 million is the estimated cost of site preparation, including connecting a driveway to Laurel Avenue — which is in North Huntingdon, Spiegel said.
Of the 50 units, eight would be available for veterans. Three will be reserved for low-income senior citizens, which are those considered at 20% of the average median income of the area.
Single-family patio homes, to be built in a second phase, would be on land in North Huntingdon.
No Irwin resident spoke against the project. Several North Huntingdon residents did.
Deborah Haigis said she was concerned with the increased traffic along Caruthers Lane, where she lives.
The edge of the road above the Norwin Public Library slid down the embankment a few years ago and work was done to stabilize the berm.
The intersection with Laurel Avenue and Caruthers Road is “very, very dangerous,” Haigis said.
“Senior housing is needed, but not this place,” she said.
Her son, Zach Haigis, a North Huntingdon commissioner, said he did not believe the wooded site “is a buildable area.” He said he would not support the project.
In February 2021, however, Haigis voted with the other six commissioners approved an agreement with the housing authority that the township would split about $11,150 annually — in place of property taxes — for 40 years with Irwin Borough, the Norwin School District and Westmoreland County Housing Authority.
In return, the four taxing bodies agreed not to challenge the tax-exempt status of the limited partnership between the authority and Boston Financial, an investment firm which has provided much of the financing for the Grand View project.
Township resident Brian Lust said Caruthers Lane already is a heavily traveled road without the addition of 50 apartment units. Motorists use Caruthers Lane to go from Route 30 to Barnes Lake Road.
“Friday afternoon, it is like the Parkway,” Lust said, referring to bumper-to-bumper conditions on the Parkways East, West and North.
On Monday, the housing authority will present site plans to the North Huntingdon Township Planning Commission for approval of a quarter-mile access road to the proposed apartment building, Spiegel said.
